Hybrid
by The King's Soldier
Summary: At first glance, Nick seems just like any other culling survivor. But unknown to Atlantis, she has the potential to shift the balance between human and wraith. Forever. But which side will she favor? *This story is currently on permanant hiatus.*
1. Signal

Obviously I don't own Stargate: Atlantis. (If I did, it would still be going!) But I do own Nick.

Okay, so I wanted to do something new, and then I discovered that a few people have already written stories based on a similar idea. But I promise this one's different. Enjoy!

* * *

**Signal**

_They're here!_

Nick ran through the trees as fast as she could. She had to reach the compound before they did.

_I have to warn her!_

They had come twice before, but she had known they were coming, and she and her mother had hidden in the tunnels until the invaders left. Now they were back, and she was too far away. She couldn't reach the compound in time.

_Yes I can! I have to!_

She pushed herself harder. She was fast; even without other people around she knew that. But they were almost to the compound. She _had_ to get there first.

- - -

"Unscheduled off-world activation!"

Chuck needn't have bothered calling out. They all knew there was nothing scheduled, and anyone close enough to hear him already knew that the gate had activated. But he said it anyway because that was just how things went.

Colonel Carter came out of her office and into the control room. The stargate had already opened and there was a bustle of activity in the gate room below her.

"Is there an I.D.C?" she asked, walking over to Chuck. He shook his head.

"Nope. But we're receiving a signal." He pushed a few buttons and then looked up. "It's some sort of distress beacon."

"From where?" Colonel Carter asked, leaning over his shoulder.

"M2R-498. We think there was a hive ship in that area not long ago, but I don't think this is from a wraith ship. The signature's different." Colonel Carter nodded.

"Have you tried to make radio contact?" she asked. Chuck pushed a few buttons and then shook his head.

"Negative. Either there's no receiver on the other end, or we're being jammed."

Sam started to say something, and then stopped.

"Wait a minute. Did you say M2R-498?" Chuck nodded. "Colonel Sheppard and his team were there four months ago and reported no intelligent life forms." Chuck shrugged. Colonel Carter thought a moment.

"Send a MALP."

Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard appeared at that moment and bounded up the steps with Dr. Rodney McKay right behind him. Both stopped beside Sam and Chuck. John crossed his arms, glancing at the screen and then focusing his gaze on Sam.

"What's goin' on?" he asked, just as someone pushed a MALP into the gate room below. Sam's eyes never left the gate.

"We're about to find out."

- - -

Nick crouched in the brush near the house. The ships were silent now, but by no means were they gone. She could still sense the invaders close by. They were already inside. She was too late. Mom wouldn't have had any warning. Not that she would have entered the tunnels without her daughter even if she had known, but still. Nick wanted to scream in frustration.

But maybe Mom was still alive. She was too far away to tell. Nick made herself take a deep breath and let it out. There was still a chance. Her eyes searched the side of the house. She would have to get inside...

Her eyes lit on a vent high in the wall. It was big enough to crawl through and could serve as an emergency escape. This time, however, it would be an entrance. The large stump beside the house would give her the height she needed to reach it.

After a quick look around, she broke her cover and hurried to the side of the house. She jumped up on the stump and grabbed the vent casing, which, while looking as though it were on tight, came loose immediately, allowing her to hoist herself up and into the tiny, square, metal tunnel.

_Please let me find her first!_

- - -

Every eye in the control room was on the screen that was currently showing the feed from the MALP's camera. There were tall trees all around with short leafy plants filling in the gaps in between, but that was all. No imminent threat was visible.

"Pan left," Sam said, her eyes still on the screen. The view shifted, turning in a slow circle. All around was much of the same. Behind the MALP was the open stargate that it had just gone through, but that was the only break in the three hundred and sixty degrees of forest. The camera continued to turn to the left, and after a moment it was back in the same position it had started in. There was no sign of anything wrong.

"Get me a visual on the planet," Sam said, turning. Someone pushed a few buttons and a nearby screen came alive with the display of a group of red dots, each of which had an identification code just above it. In the center of the screen was M2R-498. Right beside it was another, smaller dot. It blinked out and then reappeared a tiny fraction of the way around the dot that was M2R-498.

"It's a wraith cruiser," Rodney said, a touch of amazement in his voice.

"I thought that planet was unpopulated," John said suspiciously.

"Well it is, except for animals," Rodney said. John gave him a look, which he didn't notice. "There's certainly plenty of birds though." He turned and saw John, who was still giving him a funny look. "What?"

John shrugged innocently.

"Nothin'."

"So what could they possibly want on a planet with no food supply?" Sam asked, looking from Rodney to John in an attempt to get them back on topic.

"Maybe they've all become vegetarians," John suggested casually.

"Uhm, yeah," Rodney said. "That's about as likely as you giving up turkey sandwhiches."

"Are you saying I have a problem?" John asked in a slightly offended way.

"I am _saying_ that-"

"Gentlemen," Sam said, interrupting. Both men turned. "Let's try to stay on topic." John shrugged and Rodney crossed his arms the way he always did when he was annoyed at being cut off. Sam looked at John, pointedly ignoring the pouting astrophysicist. "Why don't you go check it out."

"Sure thing, Colonel," John said, turning and starting down the stairs. Rodney was right behind him. As they turned the corner, Sam heard John say,

"Why can't they be vegetarians?"

She shook her head.

- - -

There was food nearby. He could sense it. Soon he would be able to ease the hunger that was burning him alive. Not that he could make it go away, of course. It would never go away. But it would become more bearable, once he had fed. The warriors were even now closing in on their prey. Soon now he would be able to feed…

Suddenly he stopped, his entire body tensing. He had heard something, he was sure of it. Something was close. Something that lived. Perhaps he would feed sooner than he had expected.

He bared his teeth and hissed, turning around and cocking his head hungrily at the dark metal corridor behind him. For a moment he waited, but nothing came. Carefully he turned around, looking all around him for movement, however small. There was nothing. His eyes came to rest on one of the walls. He could sense a strange presence in that direction. He took another step, cocking his head again. It was close, very close. What it was, he knew not. But if he could get just a bit closer-

The sound of nearby gunfire broke his concentration. He whipped around in the direction he had originally been coming from. Prey. He craned his neck and stretched his hands out eagerly. It seemed he would not be the only one who fed. Perhaps a few choice warriors would earn themselves a small meal as well. He started down the hallway at a brisk pace, eager for the feeding soon to come. In a moment he had disappeared around a corner into blackness.

He had no idea how close he had come.

High up in the metal wall he had been facing, hidden in the shadows, was a metal vent casing. Beyond it was one of the many ventilation shafts that made up a vast system running throughout the complex. And there, just beyond the tiny metal slats, pressed as close to the far shaft wall as she could get, was Nick. She stayed there for a long moment, holding her breath, not even daring to move. She had known he was there, but she had thought maybe she could get around him. She had been wrong.

After a moment she knew for sure that he was gone. She let out a small breath of relief, then shifted around and began once more to crawl through the tiny ventilation shaft. It was small and cramped and dark, but she had no choice. She had no idea who had fired the guns, but at the moment she didn't really care. She had to find Mom. _They_ hadn't found her yet, that much she knew. But they were drawing closer by the second. She was running out of time.

_Hang on, Mom. I'm coming. _

- - -

The forest was quiet. The trees clustered around were green. The ground was covered in scattered patches of grass with dirt residing in-between. The sky was a beautiful blue and there were lazy white clouds floating across it. One would never have guessed that a destructive force floated just out of range of the naked eye.

In the middle of the forest was a miniscule clearing, and in the center of that the ancient stargate stood where it always had and probably always would, or at least until that world ended. The animals and birds ignored it completely, not really caring what it was. Or they would have if they had been there. Something had scared them away. A lone deer raced through the ring, desperate to escape whatever predator was chasing it. He vanished into the undergrowth, and then all was silent again.

Suddenly the stargate sprang to life, a vertical pool of thick blue liquid seeming to fill it. A man stepped through seemingly out of nowhere, and then another, and then a woman, and then a fourth man. All four were armed and on their guard. They looked around, guns ready, and all nodded silently to each other. Another woman came through a moment later. Dr. Jennifer Keller. She didn't look like she particularly wanted to be there, which she didn't. But Colonel Carter had insisted, saying they might find someone who couldn't wait the hour or so that it would take to get them back to Atlantis for treatment, in which case Jennifer was the one with the highest chance of keeping them alive. There was a small gun hanging on her belt, and she was praying as hard as she could that she wouldn't have to use it.

As soon as they were through, the stargate closed and they could see the trees stretching on behind it.

"This is nice," Jennifer said awkwardly, looking around at the silent forest. No one said anything. "So, uhm, where are the wraith?"

"Maybe they already left," Ronon said sarcastically.

"Really?" Rodney asked, a hint of hope entering his face.

"No," Ronon said flatly.

"Oh." Rodney turned away in disappointment. Then he turned back and said, sarcastically, "Oh that was sarcasm, was it? Yes, very funny."

"Signal's coming from that way," John said, ignoring the banter behind him.

"It could be a trap," Teyla said. John shook his head.

"Somebody would've made a big deal about it. Looks to me like they're trying to keep it pretty quiet." He started walking toward the trees. Teyla, Ronon, and Dr. Keller followed.

"Hear that?" Rodney suddenly asked quietly. They all froze, listening. Jennifer gulped and looked around nervously.

"I don't hear anything," Ronon said finally, not even bothering to lower his voice.

"Exactly!" Rodney said, his voice a low whisper. "Last time we were here there were birds everywhere!"

"Maybe you scared them off," Ronon said sarcastically. Rodney glared at him.

"I'm serious!" he said, slightly agitated. "They should be everywhere! That many animals don't just disappear overnight!"

"It wasn't exactly overnight," John said, still watching the trees. "More like four months."

"You know what I mean!" Rodney whispered, starting to get angry.

"He's got a point," Jennifer said, still nervous. Rodney stood a little straighter.

"Thank-you," he said, very dignified.

"They probably just got scared by the wraith," John said dismissively. "Let's get moving. We've got a long walk ahead." He started walking in the direction of the signal and the others followed. Rodney looked around a moment longer before realizing he was about to be left alone and hurrying after the others.

- - -

"Why couldn't we have just taken a jumper?" Rodney asked, panting as he picked his way through the undergrowth in an attempt to keep up. They had been walking for nearly an hour, and he was obviously getting winded. Behind him, Jennifer smirked in spite of the fact that she was having a hard time keeping up herself.

"There's not enough room to get it out of the gate," John said, still looking ahead. "We'd run right into the trees."

"So we go through a space gate."

"The nearest one is several hours away," Teyla reminded him as patiently as she could. "It would take too long. We needed to get there as quickly as possible."

"Well there's got to be a faster way than walking," Jennifer said.

In front of them, John suddenly drew to a halt and Rodney's suddenly indignant retort died in his throat. John held up his fist, signaling for silence, and then crouched in the brush and crept closer. Rodney and Teyla followed suit.

"Which one is that?" Jennifer asked, meaning the hand signal. In answer, Ronon, who was holding up the rear, pulled her to the ground and slapped his hand over her mouth. She gave him an apologetic look and he removed his hand. Then they both turned to see what had made John stop.

Just ahead the trees stopped, revealing a small clearing. A rectangular metal building sat in the middle, with one side covered in moss. It looked old, as if it had been there for a long time, and it almost looked abandoned.

"I don't remember seeing that last time," John said.

"Well it can't have been built since then," Jennifer said. "Look at the walls. The weather's worn them down. It must have been here for years."

"Thank-you, Captain Obvious," Rodney said sarcastically. John gave him a look.

"We didn't come this way last time," Ronon pointed out. It was true. They had hiked a bit in the other direction before deciding there really was no life and leaving.

"Some kind of settlement?" Teyla offered.

"Could go underground," John said, thinking of the Genii just like the others.

"It's got some pretty heavy shields," Rodney said. "Almost like they expected to be attacked." He looked up. "I can't get any readings until we're inside."

"Well, then let's fix that," John said.

He stood, and, gun at the ready, stepped out into the open. The others followed, and they started to make their way across the clearing. It was eerily quiet. The birds who had been everywhere on their first visit had disappeared. Jennifer looked around nervously. Where was all the life?

"We're through the shield," Rodney said just before they reached the wooden porch. "Still no life."

"There are wraith nearby," Teyla warned. Jennifer gulped.

John stepped over to the compound door and tried the handle.

"Locked," he muttered.

"Here." Ronon slung his gun over his shoulder and stepped up to the door. He and John rammed it with their shoulders. Teyla pointed her gun at the door, ready to cover them if need be. Jennifer just stood back. The door suddenly gave and they all stared inside. Ronon and John both grabbed their guns. John slowly stepped inside, ready to shoot. The others followed.

The light inside the room was dim, and their eyes took a moment to adjust. When they finally did, they saw what seemed to be some kind of study. There were two large desks, both covered in papers and random objects. One of them was positioned under a window with closed blinds. There was also a bookcase.

"Huh." Ronon was the only one to say anything.

"John." Teyla had stepped over to one of the desks. She picked up one of the papers there. John stepped over for a look.

The desk was covered in drawings. Most of them were flora and fauna, but some were of other things, like various types of ships. A chunk of purple crystal acted as a paperweight. It was the drawing Teyla held, however, that caught John's attention.

"The stargate," he said. She nodded. "Good, too."

"Look at these books," Jennifer said. The ones she held were written in pencil. She flipped through them, shaking her head in amazement. "They're about the Ancients, and the wraith, and a million other things." John and Teyla started over to take a look.

"Guys," Rodney interrupted. "There's life that way." He pointed to the left.

"How many wraith?" John asked.

"Not many," Teyla said. "I believe we will be able to fight them off." Jennifer gulped, but with exception of a suddenly very pale Rodney, the others didn't even change expressions.

"Right," John said, taking charge.

There was a corridor to the left and they took it. On the left side was some sort of kitchen, and then a large closet stocked full of food and supplies. To the right were two bedrooms. Both had a crude bed and wooden trunk. One had a desk covered in more paper and strange objects. The other had floor-to-ceiling shelves along one wall, all full of leaves and bird feathers and stones and crystals. The metal corridor continued on for a few feet and then abruptly turned right. John turned the corner and stopped.

"There's some steps going down," he called. Then he muttered, "What is it with Pegasus and underground civilizations?"

It was dark below the surface, and Teyla, Rodney, and John all turned on the lights on their guns. The corridors were made of metal, and they twisted and turned and intersected in a strange sort of maze. They hadn't been walking for more than a minute when Rodney stopped, staring at the life signs detector.

"We're about to have company."

"Wraith," Teyla said.

By unspoken agreement, everyone but Jennifer lifted their weapons and formed a sort of circle. She had landed in the middle, and with a shaking hand she reached down and clutched at the gun she had been given. She didn't notice that Rodney was shaking almost as badly. Then they waited. For a long moment there was only silence.

"Maybe they-" Rodney began. He never finished.

Something suddenly appeared out of the shadows right in front of them. Wraith warriors. Ronon and John raised their guns and fired several times as fast as they could. Rodney and Teyla swung around and fired their own weapons, the shots lighting up the dim corridor. Jennifer was too scared to even think about pulling her own trigger. All she could do was stare in terror at the charging forms. Just before they reached them, the warriors stumbled and fell one by one.

"Geez!" Rodney cried, almost hysterical. "Where did they come from?!"

"Not sure," John said, peering into the semi-darkness. There were lights overhead, but they were terrible. There were also airshafts... He quickly pushed away of the sudden surge of memories of Michael's hybrids. "Are they alone, McKay?"

"Not for long," Rodney said, looking at his life-sign detector. "There's more headed this way."

"Let's go," Ronon said, spinning his gun and starting down the hall after John.

"Shouldn't we be going _away_ from the wraith?" Jennifer asked nervously.

"We need to find those people before they do," John said. Jennifer gulped again.

"I think it's a little late for that," Ronon muttered.

* * *

What did you think? Sorry for the lack of action. I tried to make up for it with suspense. Please review!! This is my first SG-A fic, so constructive criticism is much appreciated. I'll try and post the next chapter soon!


	2. Survivor

I'd like to say a quick thank-you to my lone reviewer. And once again, I do not own SG-A, only Nick.

* * *

**Survivor**

"Okay," Rodney said. "So either there's another way out of here, or they're dead."

The team had spent the past almost-half-hour battling wraith. Teyla had been right. There weren't too many. Or at least, not too many considering that there was a cruiser in orbit. But there was still no sign of the two humans who lived in the compound. Beyond the four rooms at the front, there had also been no sign of recent civilization. There was some equipment scattered around, but it was all old and abandoned. In the center of the massive maze was a huge open space stretching all the way up and down the many levels. The rooms and corridors composing the large maze around were all empty. To the four from Sheppard's team, it felt eerily like the abandoned Taranian settlement. To Jennifer it felt like they were going in circles.

"Guess we missed the bodies," Ronon said, somewhat sarcastically.

"Very funny," Rodney said as Jennifer glanced around nervously. He glanced back at the life signs detector, and then stopped. "Wait a minute. I've got something!" He looked up and pointed to the corridor on their right. "That way."

As they started down the corridor, John glanced at Teyla. She was looking around the corridor, seeming a bit unsure about something.

"You okay?" John asked, slowing down a fraction so he was walking beside her instead of in front of her.

"I sense a presence," Teyla said. "It is... different." She shook her head. "I do not know." She glanced over at him and he knew they were both thinking of Michael.

After a few steps down the short corridor the group turned left, then walked a ways down another corridor. Then there was a closed door on their right. Rodney stopped beside it.

"It's on the other side," he mouthed, somewhat reluctantly.

"Hang on a sec," John said cautiously. Rodney glared at him, furious that their cover had been blown, but he was ignored. "Are we sure it's a wraith?" It was an open question, but John was looking at Teyla. She didn't respond.

"Let's find out," Ronon said impatiently, stepping over to the door. John didn't try to stop him. The others readied their guns, and the Satedan shoved the door open.

It opened on a tiny square room. A body was on the ground across the room. A woman. A figure was standing over her, facing the door and holding a knife in their right hand, ready to attack.

It was a human girl.

She was about sixteen, and looked strong. She was dressed in black pants and black jacket with a dark blue shirt underneath. Her shoulder-length hair was straight and brown and pulled back. Her eyes were a vivid green, and a handful of light freckles had taken up residence on her face. On her hands were a pair of fingerless, tan leather gloves. Her stance told the team she knew how to use it, and wasn't afraid to.

She relaxed a bit when she saw them, but didn't lower the weapon.

"Who are you?" she asked warily.

"Well we're not with the wraith, if that's what you're asking," John said. The girl looked at them for a moment, and then seemed to accept it.

"Is there a doctor with you?" she asked.

She might have been armed, but she was still outnumbered. The team moved aside for Jennifer, who went and knelt beside the woman lying on the ground. Her face was pale and her eyes were empty. She looked like the girl, only much older. There was a bloody gash on her chest where a wraith had been feeding recently, but it only took one look at the wrinkled face, dead eyes, and white hair to know what had happened.

The girl knelt beside her.

"Can you help her?" she asked. Her voice was even, but there was a desperation in her eyes that made Jennifer take the woman's hand and feel her wrist, just in case there was somehow something, _anything_. Then she let go and looked up at the girl.

"She's dead," she said softly. "I'm sorry." The girl looked back at her mother's face. Her own face was void of emotion, but her eyes betrayed that she wasn't entirely sure what to do.

"What happened to _him_?" Rodney asked.

The whole group turned. There was a dead wraith lying against one wall.

"I killed him," the girl said matter-of-factly.

"With a _knife_?" Rodney asked, his voice full of disbelief. She nodded.

"I jumped out of the vent and landed on him," she said. "Then I slit his throat." There was a hole in the ceiling where a large vent covering it had been pulled back. It was large enough for someone to climb through.

There came the sound of rapid firing as Ronon shot the wraith several times. The girl stared at first the body and then at him, her eyes wide.

"Just in case," he said, by way of apology.

"He was already dead," Teyla said, giving him a look. She motioned with her gun. A closer inspection of the body revealed that the wraith's head had been completely severed from his body, cut off at the neck. Ronon looked impressed.

"And, if he were still alive, there would have been two life signs, not one," Rodney said, his voice emphasizing that Ronon had been an idiot. "Not to mention you could have shot somebody!" Ronon gave him a look that said, _Shut-up_. He did.

"Who are you guys?" the girl asked again, still wary but now a bit curious.

"Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard," John said. "This is Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, Dr. Rodney McKay, and Dr. Jennifer Keller. We're from Atlantis."

"Atlantis!" Her face lit up a bit. "The city of the Ancestors?"

"Yes," Rodney said. "Except, they aren't there anymore."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not seeming surprised by his comment.

"We received your distress signal," Teyla said.

"Distress signal?" The girl looked confused. "I didn't..." She stopped and looked down at the dead woman. "Oh." So matter-of-fact. They were all quiet a moment.

There came a loud noise, like distant thunder overhead, that broke the silence.

"Rainstorm," the girl said, looking at the ceiling.

"We need to get back to the gate," John said. He looked back at the girl, who was still kneeling by the body. "What's your name again?"

"Nichelle," she said, standing. "Call me Nick." John nodded. He stepped out into the hall and looked both ways.

"I think we took care of all the wraith," he said.

"You did," Nick said before Teyla could get the words out. The whole expedition turned and stared at the girl.

"What?" she asked, not sure why they were all looking at her strangely.

"You can sense them?" John asked curiously.

"Can't you?" she asked. In answer he turned and started down the hall. The others filed after him. Nick started to follow, then stopped in the doorway and looked back at the woman's body for a second.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. A hint of sorrow flickered across her face.

- - -

"What did I say?" she asked Teyla, catching up to the others and falling into step beside the Athosian, who had taken up the rear.

"I am the only person on Atlantis who can sense the wraith," Teyla said. "A few of my people are the only others we know of with the gift. And even among them it is quite rare."

Nick had to process this new piece of information. Rare? She had always just assumed it was normal. Sure, her mother hadn't been able to sense them, but still.

What else didn't she know about herself?

- - -

"Rain's comin' down pretty hard," Ronon said, after looking through the blinds on the compound's front window. "If we hurry, we might still make it to the gate before it gets much worse."

"I wouldn't go out in that," Nick said. She was leaning against one of the desks with her arms crossed. "Storms here are ugly. The rain comes down fast enough to blind you. Plus there's a lot of lightning. If I were you, I'd wait 'til morning."

"What do you think?" John asked, turning to Rodney.

"Well personally," Rodney said, an important smile on his face, "I think that if we hurry, we might be able to…" He deflated. "She's right." John nodded.

"Sam'll have 'em radio when we don't check in. I'll tell her we're having a slumber party."

- - -

Thirty minutes later Atlantis radioed. John managed, around the static from the storm, to tell them that they were staying the night. Sam agreed. She also had a bit of good news: the cruiser had gone. Apparently the Atlantis team had made its point.

Dinner was simple. The group gathered in the main room of the compound, the only one large enough to held all six of them. The storm had knocked out power to most of the compound, but Nick found a few lanterns and dug up some stew. She grabbed some wooden bowls and filled them one by one, handing them around the circle. When everyone had some, she sat quietly and watched the team eat.

"Are you not going to eat?" Teyla asked after a moment.

"I'm not hungry," Nick said.

"You're crazy," Ronon said, downing another spoonful.

"I'm not hungry," Nick repeated, a bit stiffly. Ronon shrugged and returned to his bowl. It wasn't his problem

"This is pretty good," John said, breaking the strained silence.

"Thanks," Nick said. "It's my mom's recipe."

There was another awkward silence.

"So," Nick said finally. "Have you always lived in the city of the Ancestors?"

"Uhm, no, actually," Rodney said. He started to elaborate, but John beat him to it.

"Most of us are from a place very far away," he said vaguely. "We came through the stargate." When the word didn't register, he tried again. "The ring in the woods." Nick's eyes widened in understanding.

"You know how it works?" she asked, a smile of amazement on her face. Rodney started to say something again, but once more John cut him off.

"Yeah." He made no move to explain farther.

"Ronon and I are from nearby worlds," Teyla said, clarifying. "I am Athosian."

"And you?" Nick asked, looking at Ronon. "Where are you from?"

"Sateda," Ronon said. "Before the wraith got ahold of me." Seeing Nick's look, he added, "I was a runner." Nick nodded. She knew about runners from her mother.

"They've been here twice before," she said, meaning the wraith. "We always hid in the complex. They finally gave-up and left both times."

"Probably just wanted food," John said.

"Is it painful?" she asked, her face carefully guarded. "When they feed?"

"Pretty much," John said. "It's also kinda weird." He fell silent, remembering Todd and their joint escape from Kolya.

"I watched him kill her," Nick said suddenly, anger and shock flickering in her eyes. "He had her backed against the wall..."

Suddenly she leaped to her feet and hurried out of the room. They heard her pound down the metal stairs, and then it was quiet. There was another awkward silence. Then Teyla set down her bowl and got to her feet. No one stopped her as she headed down the hall.

- - -

Nick was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, staring down the corridor. Teyla sat down next to her, and for a moment neither of them said anything.

"I have known many people culled by the wraith," Teyla said finally. "It is painful to lose loved ones. But they would want us to keep living. To continue fighting. That is how we honor their memory."

"I should have been here," Nick said suddenly, angry and guilty all at once. "I could have warned her." She fell silent, instead looking helplessly down at her gloved hands. Something about those gloves struck Teyla as odd, though she couldn't quite figure out what. And then there was the constant feeling that the strange presence she had sensed was incredibly close...

She lay her hand on Nick's shoulder.

"It was not your fault," she said simply. Nick nodded, but she didn't look up.

* * *

Sorry it was short. I'm posting 2 to make it up to you guys. :) And since you're already here, why not hit that review button before moving on to the next chapter?


	3. Secret

Okay, so this one's a little slow too. Sorry! But I have to make a few things happen before we can get on to the real action. And hopefully I can start building some suspense here.

* * *

**Secret**

"Here." Nick hit a button and a light came on in the small bedroom.

"You can have my room," she told Jennifer. She looked around and added apologetically, "It's not much. Especially compared to Atlantis."

"After that hike, anything with a bed is more than fine," Jennifer said. She looked up and stepped over to the shelves, studying the crystals. "Where did you find all these?"

"All over," Nick said, stepping over to the shelf. "You just have to know where to look." Jennifer nodded, admiring the many colors.

Ronon, Rodney, and John were going to bed down in the main room of the compound. Teyla would be sleeping in Nick's mother's room. Her name, they discovered, had been Rayne. They had found the compound while fleeing from the wraith soon after Nick was born. She didn't know any of the details, because her mother had never really talked about it. She knew her father was dead, and assumed that the rest of her people were too, but that was all. It was strange really, how little she knew.

The three men were laying down spare blankets on the floor of the main room when Teyla came in and caught John's eye.

"May I speak to you for a moment?" she asked. John nodded and got up and followed her down the hall. Ronon and Rodney watched them leave, and then looked at each other. Ronon shrugged.

Teyla led John down the hall and down the metal steps. When they reached the bottom, she checked to make sure no one had followed them. No one had.

"Okay," John said, a bit suspiciously. "What's going on?"

"I believe Nick may be part wraith," Teyla said bluntly.

"She doesn't look like it," John said, thinking immediately of Michael.

"I have felt a constant presence since we found her, similar to a wraith and yet… different. There is none other it could be."

"That's why she can sense them," John said, putting it together. Teyla nodded.

"But it is more. I am able to sense her as well. I am not able to do so with my own people."

"You think it's more than just ancestral DNA," John said, understanding. Teyla nodded.

"Though how, I am not sure," she said. John thought a moment.

"Maybe she was some kind of experiment," he said. "Like what they did to the Athosians. Except this woman was pregnant."

"And that is why they are alone," Teyla said, adding on. John nodded.

"Does she know?" he asked, his eyes narrowing a bit.

"I do not think so," Teyla said. "She seemed… shocked to learn that sensing the wraith is a rare gift." She paused and then added, "Just as Michael was." John nodded.

"It might be better if nobody else knows," he said, thinking of Michael and the treatment he had received on the base.

"We will have to tell Colonel Carter," Teyla said. John nodded.

"But no one else," he said firmly. "And we're no gonna tell Nick, either. She's just a kid. This isn't like Michael." Teyla nodded in agreement. She had been thinking the same thing.

For the time being, it would stay their secret.

- - -

It was the silence that woke her.

Nick had made up a pallet next to her bed, where Dr. Keller was still sound asleep. When she awoke, the rain had stopped pounding against the roof. She sat up and looked around. It was dark in the room, but a small shaft of moonlight was coming in between the closed blinds.

Getting quietly to her feet, she slipped into the main room and crept around the sleeping forms of John, Ronon, and Rodney to the door. She opened it carefully and looked out. The world was still and quiet. Moonlight gently lit up the whole world. A few stars twinkled in the sky. It looked so peaceful.

After a moment she turned around and silently made her way to the pantry, which was large enough to also serve as a supply closet. She opened it and pulled out a shovel. Then she headed outside.

- - -

Doctor Keller sat up and rubbed her eyes. A bit of sunlight was coming into the room between the closed blinds. She swung her feet onto the floor, only to find the small pallet there empty.

"Nick?"

Getting to her feet, she opened the door and headed into the main room. Ronon was standing by the open door. He saw her and silently motioned her over.

Not too far from the compound, Nick was sitting on her heels, staring at a fresh pile of dirt. A tiny wooden cross marked it as a grave.

"She's been there all morning," Ronon said.

"What's going on?" John asked, getting up and coming over. He saw Nick and nodded, as if he'd been expecting something of the sort. He knew how she must feel. They all did. "Let's go ahead and get our stuff together."

Dr. Keller and Ronon both nodded and left. John stayed by the door for a brief instant, watching Nick. She had no idea...

He turned away and went to help the others.

- - -

After putting away the blankets they had been using, John, Ronon, Teyla, and a very nervous Jennifer went on a short exploration of the tunnel complex. They came back an hour later with the conclusion that the underground maze was huge, and they had only just scratched the surface the day before. Much like the Genii settlement. Rodney was too busy studying specimens from in and around the compound to even notice that they had been gone. They managed to pull him away long enough to get out the emergency rations they had all brought and start eating breakfast. For some reason it didn't feel right going through the pantry.

Finally, after a few minutes of eating in silence, Dr. Keller swallowed and said what was on everyone's mind.

"What are we going to do about Nick?"

"She can take care of herself," Ronon said, completely unconcerned. Almost.

"Yes," Teyla said in agreement, "but what if the wraith return?"

"Yesterday she got lucky," Rodney said bluntly. "That's the only reason she got rid of that wraith. If even just a few darts show up, and there's no reason to believe they won't, she's toast."

"Sam wants us to bring her back to Atlantis," John said. He had given the Colonel a brief summary via radio the night before, but had been unwilling to discuss the information around Nick. "We can figure something out from there."

"First you have to actually convince her to come with us," Rodney said, ever the pessimist.

Nick walked through the door right then. She hardly seemed to notice them sitting there, stepping right past them and into her room. An awkward silence fell. They all looked at each other, wondering how much she had heard.

A second later she came back with a bag over her shoulder.

"When are we leaving?" she asked calmly.

- - -

A few moments later they were on their way.

It was almost an hour's walk back to the stargate. All the way to the gate Jennifer kept turning around and marveling at the beauty. The rainstorm had given the leaves and grass a sudden burst of color so that the whole world seemed green. Even the sky seemed more blue. There was a handful of birds perched in trees, but not near as many as she had expected.

"I thought you said there were a lot of birds here," she said, keeping step with McKay, who was huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf.

"There should be," he said, for once saying as little as possible in order to conserve the air in his lungs.

"So where are they?" Jennifer asked. Rodney shook his head, trying to find the breath to answer.

"Don't know."

"You don't know?" Jennifer stopped walking for a second, then hurried to catch up. "That many animals don't just… disappear!"

"Oh, really?" Rodney said, his tone highly sarcastic. "I didn't know that." Jennifer stopped and watched him walk off. Beneath all the sarcasm he seemed pretty flustered. Nick, who had overheard the last bit of their conversation, let him pass her and then fell back beside Jennifer. For a moment neither of them said anything.

"They started disappearing several months ago," Nick said quietly. "It was slow at first, hardly noticeable. Then it became more rapid. Three days ago I went hunting. Spent all day and hardly saw a single living thing. Something's scared them all off."

"Like what?" Jennifer asked, getting nervous. Nick shook her head.

"I don't know."

"So you're saying that there is something else here to worry about besides the wraith?" Nick nodded. "Well, shouldn't you be telling Colonel Sheppard, or Ronon, or… or somebody who can actually do something about it?" Nick shrugged.

"You're the one who asked," she said simply.

Jennifer was about to respond, but at that moment they came upon the stargate. Nick went over to Rodney, who was just about to touch the DHD. She watched in silence as he pushed the first key, and then the second. She waited until his fingers had left the third key and were hovering while his eyes looked for the fourth before asking,

"How does it work?"

"Each key," he said, hitting the fourth and fifth before stopping to gesture with his hands a bit, "stands for a constellation. Seven symbols are entered, like a sort of address." Nick had no clue what an address was, but she nodded anyway. Rodney quickly hit the sixth and seventh keys and then looked up, eager for the chance to show off what he knew. "The first six symbols are co-ordinates, which, when connected, create three intersecting lines-"

"-with your destination as the point of intersection," Nick said, catching on. "The seventh acts as the point of origin, allowing you to plot a straight course."

"How'd you know that?" Rodney asked, disappointed.

"My mom taught me to connect the dots," Nick said, a hint of a smile on her face. Behind her, John and Ronon and Teyla exchanged a grin.

"Yeah, well..." A momentarily-deflated Rodney turned around and pushed the blue button in the center of the DHD. The stargate sprang to life; the familiar horizontal pool of thick blue water filled it. Nick gasped and took a half-step forward, only to quickly step back as the vortex shot out of the event horizon and then retreated.

"Whoa," she said, her voice full of awe. She turned to Rodney. "That's it? You just key in a code and press the button?"

"It's actually much more complex," Rodney said. "There are technically millions of possible combinations, but only a small percentage of them actually represent valid addresses." Teyla rolled her eyes, but Rodney took no notice and plowed on. "It would be pointless, therefore, to simply dial a random sequence. There are also many worlds without a DHD, making it extremely difficult to return to the point of origin without the proper-"

"That means yes," John interrupted. Rodney gave him a frustrated look.

"Not exactly," he said hotly. John rolled his eyes at Nick, and then walked over to the gate and stepped through. Nick's eyes widened in awe as he disappeared. Jennifer went through after him. Rodney, still annoyed at being interrupted, grabbed up the bag he had set down beside the DHD and followed suit, somewhat huffily. Suddenly realizing that she was now the closest person to the gate, Nick turned and looked at Ronon. He held out his arm, signaling for her to go first.

"Ladies first," he said, a hint of a grin on his face.

Nick turned back to the stargate and stepped forward. She stopped before it and looked up, remembering all the times she had played on and around it, wishing she knew how to make it work. Her mother had forbidden her from touching the DHD. She had always thought the strange device held some special power. Now she knew her mother had been afraid she would figure out how it worked and disappear.

Gathering her determination, she squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and stepped through.

* * *

Hopefully the Rodney scene at the end served to liven things up a bit. Next stop, Atlantis!

Oh, and reviews are much appreciated. I feel more compelled to get the next chapter up. (Hint, hint.)


	4. Outside Looking In

I'm back! Things are pretty crazy around here, so I haven't had as much time as I'd like. But I put up 2 chapters to make it up to you guys. :)  
No, I don't own SG-A. But Nick is mine. Mwa-ha-ha!! Just kidding.  
And now on with the show!

* * *

**Outside Looking In**

On the other side of the gate was a whole new world.

Nick found herself once more behind Rodney and John. She was so in awe of her surroundings that she only just remembered to step forward out of the way before Ronon came through behind her. Teyla was last and then the gate closed, but Nick was too busy looking around to notice.

"It's amazing." She didn't know if she was referring to the stargate's power or the wonder of Atlantis. Maybe both.

The room was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was big and spacious with several doorways opening on to corridors. Overlooking the room was a balcony from which someone could monitor and control the gate. It was full of people and control panels. The place had undoubtedly been built by the Ancestors. Nick knew that for a fact, but something about it just _felt_ different. A few men in a type of uniform were on the ground, probably soldiers. A blonde woman was coming toward them from the stairs. She seemed nice enough, and probably had a sense of humor, but it was obvious that those under her command respected her, and she them.

"Colonel Carter," John said, acknowledging the woman. He turned and motioned for Nick to come forward. "This is Nichelle. Nick, Colonel Carter."

Samantha Carter held out her hand and they shook. Then she turned back to John.

"The wraith?" she asked.

"Gone," John said. "There was a small group on the ground, probably just looking for food. I think we killed them all. The others left with the cruiser." He glanced at Nick, who was waiting in silence. "Nick actually took one out with a knife."

"Really?" Sam asked. She looked at Nick, slightly amazed.

"I just jumped down on her and slit his throat," Nick said simply.

"Cut his head off," Ronon said, coming up behind them. Nick shrugged. She had just done what she had to do. Samantha Carter, though, seemed to be taking a second look at her.

"Well if you don't mind," she said, talking to the entire team, "I'd like to go ahead and hear your report now." John and the others nodded. All six started walking toward a doorway together. Nick hurried after them, trying to take in everything and still keep up.

They walked through a door and into a large corridor with people walking up and down it. On one side was a window opening out onto Atlantis and offering a full view of all the towers and buildings, as well as the sea beyond. Nick stopped in front of it, mouth open and eyes wide.

"Whoa."

She stared out the window, hardly able to believe all the splendor she was seeing. She had heard great tales of the city of the Ancestors all her life, but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined such splendor. Nor had she realized how big it was.

"Are you coming?"

Teyla's voice jerked Nick back to the present. Suddenly realizing that the team had moved on and she was about to be left behind, she turned and hurried after them.

- - -

"I think that's everything," Dr. Keller said.

While Colonel Carter asked the team all the questions she had, she had asked a doctor to give Nick a routine check-up to make sure she was healthy. It hadn't taken very long at all. Dr. Keller had come in just in time to finish it up.

"I'll run some tests on that blood sample and have the results to you tomorrow," Dr. Keller said. "But as far as I can see, you're fine." She gave a small smile, to which Nick nodded.

She got down from the bed she had been sitting on and started toward the infirmary door. In the doorway she turned.

"Thanks for trying to help," she said. Her voice betrayed no emotion.

"My mom died a few years ago," Jennifer said a bit quietly, knowing immediately what she had meant. "I understand." Nick nodded and left.

- - -

It was lunchtime when she left the infirmary, and Nick was hungry. She had to stop and ask someone for directions to the mess hall, but that just confused her more. Seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere, the man kindly offered to just show her where it was. When they reached their destination a few moments later, she thanked him several times before heading inside.

She got her food and then searched the sea of tables and people for a place to sit. Her eyes lit on the table where John, Teyla, Ronon, and Rodney were all sitting together. Rodney had just said something, his face perfectly serious. Ronon and John were grinning at each other, and Teyla was rolling her eyes. Rodney then said something that seemed to be along the lines of, "I'm serious," which made John and Ronon grin more.

Nick had never had the chance to interact with anyone except her mother and their suppliers, and, though she would have died before admitting it, she was eager to impress the Atlantis team. But the sight of them all together made her suddenly aware of a bond they already shared, an understanding she would have to earn a part of. She found she was up to the challenge.

Ronon suddenly saw her standing there and he gave her a nod of greeting. John turned around partway and waved her over. She walked over to the table and Ronon moved over to make room for her. Across from her, Teyla smiled welcomingly.

"So I guess you're not contaminated or anything," Rodney said in a semi-joking way. Nick shook her head.

"She still has to test a blood sample, but other than that I'm fine." Teyla and John glanced at each other, but Nick didn't notice. She grabbed her fork and took a bite of something. She chewed it for a moment, and then gave a small nod. Not bad.

"How do you like Atlantis?" Teyla asked, making conversation. Nick shrugged.

"It's a lot bigger than I thought. Pretty intimidating. But kind of neat too." She looked around. "You can tell the Ancestors made it just from the architecture and stuff." She took another bite. "So if you aren't from Atlantis, then why are you here?"

"Originally we were supposed to explore the Pegasus galaxy," Rodney said.

"Now they're fighting the wraith," Ronon finished. Nick froze and rested her fork on her plate.

"Can I help?"

"You were pretty brave yesterday," John said. "Attacking one by yourself. That takes guts." He was obviously dodging the question.

"Can you fight?" Ronon asked curiously, cutting off Nick's reply. She nodded.

"I can use a knife. And I know some stick fighting and some physical stuff. My mom taught me."

"You up for a spar?" Ronon asked, looking for something to do with his missionless afternoon. Nick took a good look at him, sizing him up. John, remembering the millions of bruises he had earned from Ronon, was about to suggest that maybe that wasn't such a good idea, but Nick spoke first.

"Okay," she said, nodding gamely. Ronon grinned.

- - -

Dr. Keller turned around as Ronon and Nick came into the infirmary. There was a gash on the right side of Ronon's forehead that was bleeding, as well as a bruise on his cheek. She gave them both a funny look.

"What happened to you?" she asked, going over to examine Ronon's gash.

"We were sparring," he said simply.

"I hit him kind of hard," Nick said, giving him an apologetic look.

"I'm fine," Ronon said, more to Jennifer than to Nick. He glanced over at the girl. "How'd you get so fast?"

"Practice," Nick said. She rolled her shoulder around, showing that it was sore from the force of some of his harder blows. "How'd you get so strong?"

"Practice," Ronon said. The two fighters grinned at each other. _No hard feelings._

"Well, it looks like you hit him pretty good," Dr. Keller said, looking at the gash. "It's going to need a few stitches." She went over to the cabinet, looking for a needle and thread. Ronon rolled his eyes.

"Guess I'll get going," Nick said, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. She turned and started for the door.

"This isn't over," Ronon called. Nick stopped in the door and turned. When she saw his face, a small grin touched her own.

"Ready whenever you are," she said. Then she turned and left.

Ronon went and sat down on the bed. Dr. Keller shut the cabinet and went over to him. He lay down while she threaded her needle.

"Good job," she said.

"On getting my butt kicked?" Ronon asked, somewhat sarcastically. A hint of a smile touched Jennifer's face.

"You made her smile."

"So?" Ronon said. Jennifer shook her head. When her own mother died, it had been days before she smiled. But the significance was lost on Ronon.

"Hold still," she said, moving on. "This'll only take a sec."

Ronon rolled his eyes. He'd already known that. He'd been in the infirmary for stitches more times than he could count. Usually after sparring. He knew what to expect.

He did his best to get comfortable.

- - -

Nick spent the rest of her day with Rodney and Zelenka, who were alternating between working in the gate room and running various tests on the samples the team had brought back from the compound. Radek was more than happy to answer each and every question she asked. In fact, he seemed thrilled that she actually expressed an interest in all of it. It took Rodney a bit longer, but he soon overcame his initial uneasiness over the fact that she was a girl. Once he realized she really was interested, he actually got fairly excited. When dinner came, the three of them sat down together near John and the others and the two scientists continued to fill Nick in on some project they were working on, which she actually seemed to understand at least a bit. A table over, Ronon, complete with brand new stitches, just rolled his eyes.

* * *

Once again, a bit slow. Sorry! But the mystery begins to unfold in the next chapter. But before you move on, how about hitting the review button?


	5. Common Ground

Once again, thank-you to my 2 reviewers. Come on, guys! Is it that hard to push the little button and say, "Good job"?! Just kidding. Sort of…  
This chapter may seem a little slow, but you'll learn some interesting things. So pay attention!! Oh, and the italics are… Well, you'll see.

* * *

**Common Ground**

_She was back at the compound, crawling through the vents. It was dark and cramped, but she knew the way. She kept crawling, making her way through the darkened maze. The wraith were near; she could sense them. But maybe... _

_There came a sudden scream. Mom! She moved toward the sound as fast as she could. She __had__ to get there in time! _

_And then suddenly she was there. She looked through the vent beneath her just as her mother backed against the wall. The wraith's hand came down in slow motion. She needed to move, needed to help! But she couldn't. She was frozen. All she could do was watch in wide-eyed horror. _

_Her mother looked up and their eyes met. She was silently begging, pleading for help. And Nick could only stare, watching the terrifying physical change, watching the terror leave her eyes only to be replaced by a horrible void. Then the wraith let go and she sank to the ground, dead. _

_"No_oo!"

Nick sat bolt upright, breathing hard and fast. Her face was covered in sweat, her hands tightly clenching the blankets. The images were branded into her mind. She could still see it all with her waking eyes, could still see her mother's face...

She took several deep breaths to get herself under control, and then looked around the room. She hadn't even unpacked yet. Tears welled in her eyes, but she fought them down. Suddenly she had an urge to get out, to feel the wind. That, at least, was familiar.

She slipped out of the room and into the quiet halls, letting the door shut behind her. There was no one around. She started walking, not even knowing where she was going. It didn't really matter.

- - -

Samantha Carter couldn't sleep. She wasn't sure why. She didn't usually have a problem with sleep. But tonight, nothing seemed to work.

Finally she gave up. It would be morning in a couple of hours. Might as well take a walk. At least that would give her something to do.

- - -

A few minutes later she found herself on a sort of balcony overlooking the water. There was a table and a set of chairs near the railing, and Nick was sitting there with paper and pencil, sketching her view of the ocean and the moon and the buildings. Sam went and sat down across from her. Nick didn't look up.

"It's Nichelle, right?" Sam asked in an attempt at conversation.

"Nick," the girl said without looking up. Sam nodded and waited a moment, but Nick didn't say anything else. She tried again.

"Am I in the way?" she asked. Nick looked up and shook her head. Then she froze for a moment before looking back at her paper and erasing something.

"I guess you couldn't sleep either," Sam said, once more attempting conversation.

"Nope," Nick said. She looked up for a second and then flipped the pencil around and began to sketch again. Sam decided to give it one more shot.

"I'm sorry about your mom," she said quietly. Nick froze, and Sam kept going. "My mom died in a car crash when I was a teenager." Very slowly Nick looked up. She had no idea what a car crash was, but somehow it didn't matter. Suddenly it was as if there was a connection between them, albeit a small one.

"And your dad?" she asked.

"He's gone too," Sam said. "He was in the air force. Major General Jacob Carter." A proud smile touched her lips briefly. "Mark, my brother, is all the family I have left. He's still on earth." Nick nodded, then looked back at her drawing.

"I can't remember any of my other family. Not even my dad."

"I'm sorry," Sam said. She paused, and then asked curiously, "How did you get supplies?"

"People flew them in every so often. Friends of my mother. They never stayed long, just dropped them off and left. There was a man named Mikkah first, and then his daughter Larrin."

"Larrin?" Sam sounded surprised.

"You know her?" Nick asked, looking up.

"Not personally. She kidnapped John so he could teach her how to work an Ancient ship. Long story short, they got attacked and had to work together. Now we're sort of potential allies."

"How long have you been in command of Atlantis?" Nick asked, deciding to make an effort to keep the conversation going.

"Not long. Elizabeth Weir, the first commander, went missing on a mission not long ago. I was sent to take her place."

"If they sent someone to take her place," Nick said, not knowing who _they_ were, but using the term anyway, "then they must assume she's dead."

"The IOA thinks she's dead," Sam said. Nick didn't know who the IOA was, but she didn't interrupt. "But Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard thinks she may still be alive."

"And you?" Nick asked. Sam hesitated a moment, and then said,

"She was taken prisoner by the Replicators. I don't know how she could have survived. And if she did somehow, she's no longer the Elizabeth we knew."

"Oh," Nick said. She didn't completely understand, but once again it didn't matter. "I'm sorry."

"We all are," Sam said quietly. She looked around her. "She did a fine job here. She left some big shoes to fill."

"I think you're doing a great job," Nick said. Sam met her eyes curiously, and was surprised to find a genuine sincerity there.

"Thanks," she said, a smile touching her face. Nick nodded.

"I know most of you came from the same planet," she said, resuming her quick pencil strokes. "But how did Teyla and Ronon end up here?"

"When the team first arrived in Atlantis, they made contact with the Athosians, Teyla's people. She's their leader. Ronon we rescued from the wraith. They had destroyed most of his world before making him a runner. That was a few years ago." Nick took a moment to process that. It explained a lot.

"While you're here," Sam said suddenly, "I guess we should talk about what to do with you. You can go back home if you like and we can send a team to check in on you periodically. Or we could find you a place with one of our allies. The Athosians would probably be willing to take you in. They're no strangers to the wraith. We could also try and track down Larrin, and see if her people would let you live with them." She paused, and then said, "If you really wanted, I guess we could even send you back to earth as a sort of exchange student."

"Can I have some time to think about it?" Nick asked. It was a huge choice.

"Of course," Sam said. Nick gave her a nod of thanks.

"You know," the Colonel said after a long moment of silence, "Nichelle is a pretty name." Nick shrugged.

"It's okay, I guess," she said. Sam smiled.

"I don't like my first name much either. It's Samantha. But most people call me Sam. Or Colonel." Her grin broadened a bit at the lame joke.

Nick looked up and slowly the tiniest hint of a smile touched her own face.

"You don't seem like a... Samantha." It took a moment for her tongue to get the feel of the strange name, but Sam grinned.

"Thanks. I agree." She looked down at Nick's paper. Her pencil was lying on the table, having been still for a few moments. "Are you finished?"

"Yeah." Nick picked up the paper and handed it to her. "It's pretty decent."

"Are you kidding?" Sam asked. "It's amazing."

"Seriously?" Nick asked. She nodded.

The picture was a detailed sketch of the view from the balcony. It showed the water, complete with ripples and moonlight bouncing off. The buildings on either side were also there. The moon hung low in the sky. And, in her chair in front of the water, sat a perfect likeness of Colonel Sam Carter. The careful shading and meticulous attention to detail seemed to almost bring the picture to life.

Sam shook her head.

"You've got a real talent." She held out the paper, but Nick shook her head.

"You can have it."

"Thanks," Sam said sincerely. Nick nodded.

"You're welcome."

By some mutual consent, they both stood and pushed in the chairs they had been using. After telling each other good night, they both headed their separate ways. There was still no chance of sleep, and the sun would be up soon anyway, but somehow they both felt a little better than they had.

- - -

Sam shook her head. She was halfway to her office already, but her mind was still on Nick. She didn't look part wraith. In fact, in the course of the conversation Sam had actually managed to forget about the real reason she even sat down. She had wanted to see how Nick acted, watch for any trace of wraith behavior. Namely aggression. But there was none. In fact, quite the contrary. Nick had seemed so _normal_. It was hard to believe... But Sam had seen the proof, and there was no denying it.

As soon as the debriefing was over, and once the other three were gone, Teyla and John had told Sam about their suspicions. The three of them had discussed it thoroughly, and finally decided there was only way to be certain if they were right. Test it.

After having the two of them promise not to tell anyone until they knew more, Sam had headed down to the infirmary. Nick was no longer there. Jennifer was busy wrapping a sprained ankle, and Sam waited until she was finished before approaching the chief of medicine.

"Colonel!" Jennifer finished wrapping up the extra bandage and placed it in a cabinet. "What can I do for you?"

"How did Nick's physical go?"

"No problems," Jennifer said. "As far as I can tell, she's clean." When Sam didn't respond, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Have you had a chance to examine her blood sample yet?"

"Well, no. Doctor Johnson came in with a sprained ankle right after she left, and I have Lieutenant Sanders scheduled for a check-up in a few minutes to see if we can get the cast off her arm. I was going to let one of the nurses do it when they had time."

"I'm going to ask that you look at it personally," Sam said.

"Okay," Jennifer said, looking a bit confused. Sam offered no explanation.

"Let me know your results," she said simply, turning to leave.

"Sure."

Jennifer didn't have any more time to think about the strange incident, because Lieutenant Sanders showed up at that moment for her check-up. All went well, and they removed her cast. After that it was one thing after another, and it was late afternoon before Jennifer finally sat down with a sandwich to run the tests.

She couldn't believe what she found.

- - -

"Colonel Carter!"

Sam was walking toward the gate room when she heard her name. She turned as Jennifer ran up behind her, carrying a tablet. She looked slightly pale.

"I ran the tests myself, like you asked," Jennifer said.

"And?" Sam asked.

"Well, she's not sick," Jennifer said. "But there is something you should know." She paused, making sure she had Sam full attention. She did. "She has wraith DNA."

"Are you sure?" She didn't sound as surprised as Jennifer had expected.

"I ran the test four times. Same result."

"How much?" Sam asked.

"Probably around thirty-five percent." Sam shook her head in disbelief. Then her science background began to kick in.

"With that much, there has to be some kind of physical effect." Jennifer nodded.

"I know. I checked everything several times, but I can't find any trace of it other than in her DNA."

"Does anyone else know?" Sam asked. Jennifer shook her head.

"I was the only one in the infirmary. And I came straight to you once I was sure."

"Go ahead and run some more tests," Sam said. "We need to know where that DNA shows up. Until we're sure, let's keep it quiet." Jennifer nodded and headed back to the infirmary. Sam shook her head. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

Interesting. So Nick's part wraith. A pretty big part. So how does that affect her? You'll have to wait until the next chapter to find that out. :D But before you move your mouse all the way to the top of the screen to hit the back button, how about pushing the review button that's right there? Pleeease?


	6. Heritage Revealed

Another chapter up. Once again, thank-you to my 3 reviewers. You are much appreciated.

Again, I do not own SG-A but I do own Nick. This chapter may seem slow, but it gives hints at several of Nick's "gifts." See how many you can catch. And, of course, enjoy!

* * *

**Heritage Revealed**

Nick waited until she had eaten breakfast with John and the others before heading to the infirmary. She knew for a fact that no patients were in there at the time. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened during the night, and there were no serious injuries or illnesses at the moment. Nick had a good memory for location, and she managed to find her way without having to ask directions.

She entered the infirmary to find it empty. It was still early in the morning, and most of the doctors were taking advantage of the current calm by eating breakfast. Nick stuck her head in one of the side rooms only to find it empty too.

"Dr. Keller?"

"Just a sec!" a voice called. Nick crossed her arms over her chest and looked around her. A moment later Jennifer Keller appeared.

"Hey, Nick."

She gave a smile that somehow seemed a bit forced, and then headed over to a cabinet to put something away. Nick was immediately on her guard.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well the good news is, you don't have any diseases," Dr. Keller said, putting things inside the cabinet. She didn't sound too enthusiastic.

"But?" Nick said, knowing that there was more. Jennifer shut the cabinet and turned around before answering.

"We need to talk about something," she said.

"Okay," Nick said, still wary.

"When I was testing your blood, I found something that you should know about." She paused, not quite sure how to say it. "You've got wraith DNA."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nick asked, not quite comprehending.

"It means that around sixty-five percent of your DNA is human, and the rest is wraith."

"What are you talking about?" Nick asked incredulously. "Do I _look_ like a wraith?"

"You're not full wraith," Dr. Keller said, "so you don't look like them. But it affects you in other ways, like allowing you to sense them."

"This is crazy," Nick said, sitting down on the bed behind her. "Teyla can sense the wraith, and she's not one of them."

"The Athosian people were experimented on by the wraith a long time ago," Jennifer explained. "Teyla's ancestors were included. Because of that, she does have some wraith DNA, but only a little. Just enough that she can sense them. And Mich-" She trailed off, both because she had said too much and because Nick had looked up at that moment, a spark of anger in her eyes.

"Where is she?" she asked, her voice hard.

- - -

John, Teyla, Rodney and Ronon were all still sitting on the balcony where they had eaten breakfast. They were talking about something and seemed to be having a good time, but fell silent when they saw her coming over with a fierce gleam in her eye. She walked straight up to the table, her eyes locked on Teyla.

"You knew, didn't you?" she asked Teyla, her voice hard. Teyla stared calmly back, as if she had known it would happen eventually, which she had. Sam had told her and John about Jennifer's finding the evening before.

"Yes," she said calmly. "I have known."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Nick's fists were clenched tightly at her sides.

"I did not think you needed to know yet."

"Know what?" Rodney asked, looking nervously between them.

"What are you talking about?" Ronon asked. He looked over at John, who was looking at Nick. "Sheppard?" John, his eyes focused intently on Nick and Teyla, waved at him to be quiet.

"Why don't you tell them?" Nick said, still trying to stare Teyla down. Teyla never even broke eye contact.

"Nick is part wraith," she said calmly.

"How much?" Rodney asked, his eyes wide.

"Enough to have the gift," Teyla said. She thought it best not to name the actual figure. Nick stared angrily at her for another second, then turned and walked quickly away. Jennifer Keller came over to the table, staring after her.

"I was trying to keep that from happening," she said apologetically.

"You did fine," Teyla said, as Nick disappeared from view.

"How's that possible?" Ronon asked, still a bit confused.

"We think," John said, "that she was probably part of a wraith experiment. They captured a pregnant woman and mess around with child. At some point she was rescued, and they were both hidden away where the wraith hopefully wouldn't find them."

"That makes sense," Rodney said.

"The only thing we can't figure out," John said, "is where she's from. They aren't Athosian, or Teyla would know."

"That leaves a lot of options," Ronon pointed out. John nodded.

"Does Sam know your theory?" Jennifer asked.

"Teyla and I told her yesterday," John said.

"How'd you figure it out?" Ronon asked, staring warily after Nick.

"I could sense her presence," Teyla said. "John and I put together the rest."

"So, how much of her is wraith?" Rodney asked, looking at Jennifer.

"Around thirty-five percent." Jennifer found a chair and drew it up to the table. "But somehow it doesn't seem to have affected her physically."

"How's that possible?" the astrophysicist asked.

"I don't know. It has to have affected her somehow. There's too much for it not too. The question is, how?"

"Does it matter?" Ronon asked, his voice a bit hard.

"She is not one of them," Teyla said, knowing exactly what the former runner was thinking. She eyed him firmly but cautiously, waiting for his reaction.

"She's close enough," he muttered. He abruptly stood and walked away. The others stared after him.

"We may have a problem," John said.

"It might be best," Teyla said, "if we kept them apart." Jennifer nodded.

"Wait a minute," Rodney said, as if the weirdness of the situation had just registered in his mind. "What is she, some kind of..." he fished for the right word, "secret wraith weapon?"

"I don't know," Jennifer said. "She's an experiment of some kind, but that's all we've been able to figure out." Rodney was still too busy trying to get his head around the idea of Nick being a wraith experiment to bother making a sarcastic remark.

"I think I'm gonna make sure she and Ronon don't kill each other," John said, getting up. The other three followed suit.

- - -

Nick paced up and down the length of her room, looking for all the world like a caged animal. She didn't know what to do. Part of her wanted to run back through the gate and go home. But, of course, she didn't know the code. Although, with her fighting skills, if she _really_ wanted to...

Finally she stopped and sat down on her bed. It was all too much to wrap her brain around. How in the world could she be part wraith?

She looked down at her gloved hands. Beneath the right glove there was a slash running vertically down her palm, almost as if her skin had been cut and had never fully healed. Her mother had always made her wear the gloves. It had just been something she was strange about.

She had only taken them off once, when she was four. Mom had grabbed her by the shoulders and immediately made her put them back on.

_"Why do I have to wear them?" Nick asked. Mikkah and Larrin didn't wear gloves, and neither did the men with them. Besides. It was just a birthmark. _

_"Because," Mom said quietly. "People wouldn't understand." _

Someone knocked on the door and Nick looked up. She stayed on the bed as the person knocked again.

"I know you're in there." Sheppard.

Nick got off the bed and went over to the door. She waved her hand over the sensor and the door slid open. Sheppard was standing on the other side, casually holding a gun of some kind.

"Catch." He lightly tossed her the weapon, which she caught easily.

"What's this for?" Nick asked, looking form the gun barrel to John.

"For you to use."

"You sure you trust me with it?" Nick asked bitterly. "I could decide to shoot you right now."

"Do you want to help us fight the wraith or not?" John asked, wasting no time in playing his master card. He had her hooked. Nick's face hardened and she hands tightened around the gun.

"I don't know how to use it," she admitted.

"Then you're gonna learn," John said calmly.

- - -

Once she learned how to work the gun, it turned out that Nick was actually a remarkably good shot. With a bit of practice, she could become an amazing marksman. She was quick, but also fairly accurate for a beginner. Qualities that could save her life.

It also gave her something to think about besides her heritage. Her mom had always told her, _"When you get angry, do something that forces you to focus."_ She had discovered long ago that her drills accomplished that. If she did them fast enough, she didn't have time to think. Apparently shooting was the same way.

After a while Teyla came in, looking for a sparring partner. Nick volunteered, and they headed to the gym with John in tow. The Athosian grabbed up a pair of sticks and handed two to Nick. Nick twirled them once, already knowing she could use them. Teyla took a stance and Nick took her own. For a moment they circled slowly, feeling each other's defenses. Then Teyla closed in and they began to fight.

The whole thing was a rapid blur. They both moved so fast it was practically impossible to see what was going on. Most of it didn't even register. Nick acted purely on instinct, something else her mother had taught her to do. It seemed to work fairly well. They whirled around the room, their sticks crashing into each other. It was a very physical fight. Suddenly Nick was glad her mother had made her practice so much.

Both of them got banged up. On the sidelines, John was amazed. She was a good deal stronger than he had expected. Faster too. He had to hand it to her, she knew what she was doing.

At one point Teyla brought her stick down on Nick's knuckles so hard that they began to bleed. Nick winced. She raised both her weapons to meet Teyla's, causing a split-second pause in the fight.

"Do you wish to stop?" Teyla asked.

"Not a chance!" Nick said, twirling away. She could bandage her hand afterward.

The fight continued. John was no expert, but he could tell that Teyla was beginning to slow down a little. Even with all her practice, she was having to work to keep up with Nick. That was strange. Teyla had worked for years to become the amazing fighter she was. She shouldn't have any problems defeating a teenager.

He didn't have any more time to think about it, because a moment later, so fast he couldn't hardly see what happened, Nick somehow knocked Teyla onto the mat. Before the Athosian could react, Nick was kneeling over her. She had pulled a knife from somewhere, and it was now resting against Teyla's throat.

"I win," Nick said.

Suddenly John remembered Nick's wraith side. He took a step forward, ready to rush to Teyla's defense. The Athosian had also remembered and was frozen, waiting to see what Nick did. For a moment no one moved.

All of a sudden, Nick seemed to realize what she was doing. A look of shock crept across her face and she pulled back so she was sitting on her heels. Teyla noticed the quick change, and allowed her mouth to twist into a small smile.

"I do not believe knives are allowed," she said as she sat up. Nick, realizing Teyla wasn't angry, or scared, tentatively grinned back. She got to her feet and gave the Athosian warrior her hand. When they were both standing, she said,

"In a real fight, anything is allowed."

Teyla laughed.

"It is true," she said. Behind them, John relaxed visibly. Both fighters were sweaty, and some of their hair had slipped out of its ties. Teyla, however, was breathing slightly harder.

"You alright?" Nick asked, noticing the last fact. Teyla nodded.

"I am fine. How is your hand?"

"Fine," Nick said. "It was just a little bruise." She held up her hand. Her knuckles should have been completely battered. They weren't. There was a thin line of dried blood running across the top of her hand, and a bruise that was fast fading. That was all. Her hand was almost completely healed.

John came over, and he and Teyla both stared at her hand. Nick, seeing their expressions, asked,

"What's wrong?"

"Do you always recover so... quickly?" Teyla asked, giving her a strange look.

"It's not normal, is it?" Nick said, already knowing the answer.

"Not exactly," John said. Nick lowered her hand in disgust.

"Well that's just great."

- - -

John spent the rest of the day showing her Atlantis, where everything was and how it worked. While it was fairly obvious that the city had been built as just that, a city, she had to admit that they had done a good job of turning it into a military base. The tour was a big help, and by the end Nick didn't feel quite so out of place as she had the day before. But she still didn't feel like she belonged. Which, she remembered, she didn't. The people of Atlantis had a comradery that she had yet to earn a part of.

And, the way her heritage was shaping up, it didn't look like she ever would.

* * *

What do you guys think? What abilities did you pick up on? Just because I'm curious, send me a message and let me know. Oh, and while you're at it, why not tack on a review? :D


	7. Birthmark

This chapter is really short. Sorry! But you do learn something interesting (for those of you who haven't already picked it up). And we're almost through the slow part, so the action will begin very soon.  
A quick thank-you to SGA-Seven for correcting me on some wraith physiology. And Nick only has a "scar" on her right hand.  
Moving on!

* * *

**"Birthmarks"**

Nick awoke to a commotion outside. It was the middle of the night, but she could distinctly hear people running outside. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she grabbed a jacket and stepped out into the corridor.

The hall was full of people running. Mostly medical personnel, but there were also soldiers. Nick grabbed Teyla as she hurried past.

"What's going on?" she asked. Teyla shook her head.

"I do not know."

The two of them followed the crowd to the room housing the stargate. Colonel Carter was there, giving orders. She was wide awake, but she looked like she had just been dragged out of bed. John was also there. Teyla made her way over to him with Nick right behind.

"What is happening?" she asked.

"One of our teams just radioed in," he said, his eyes on the gate. "They were attacked by wraith. They should be here in a minute."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a man came through the gate holding a gun before him. He was closely followed by a group of men, several of whom had their guns at the ready, and then finally two more men. Everyone immediately began to clear a path so they could get to the infirmary where Jennifer Keller and her team were making hurried preparations. One of the men was limping, and most of the others looked pretty banged-up. The wraith had caught them completely off-guard. Nick couldn't seem to get over the feeling that if she had been there, she would have been able to warn them.

Then she noticed the man in the middle of the group. He was lying on his back, held up by several of his comrades. His face was wrinkled and his hair white.

The man who had first come through the gate came over to Sheppard.

"They came out of nowhere," he said. "Somehow one got ahold of him, but we blew its head off. He still had a pulse five minutes ago."

They group of men walked past, and Nick looked at the man's face. She knew he was already dead. Then she got a glimpse of the vicious, bloody slash on his chest where the wraith had been feeding. Her eyes went wide.

Images flashed before her eyes in rapid succession. _The slash on his chest. The mark on her dead mother's chest. The strange line on the hand of the wraith she had killed. Her own right hand without its glove. _

She stared after him, her eyes wide. Her right hand clenched involuntarily into a fist behind her back, so tight that her knuckles turned white.

All four marks were the same.

- - -

The man had already been dead for a full three minutes when they got him to the infirmary. The only reason Nick knew was because she had still been awake. She hadn't slept all night. Instead she had sat in her room, in the dark, listening to the conversation outside and staring at her ungloved right hand.

A wraith hand.

- - -

As the sun began to rise, she got up and made her way down to the infirmary. There was almost no one in there halls. And those that were out were completely silent.

The infirmary was totally empty. Nick wandered through all the rooms, but no one was there. She made her way back to the door and was about to leave when Dr. Keller came in.

"Wha!" Jennifer jumped.

"Sorry!" Nick said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I didn't think anyone was in here," Jennifer said, recovering from her surprise and heading into one of the side rooms. "What are you doing in here?"

Nick wandered after her.

"I haven't been able to sleep. I thought maybe you could give me something."

"Hang on." Jennifer opened a cabinet and pulled out a small container of pills. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Nick took the container, but she made no move to leave. Jennifer went over to a desk and started to look for something. A moment later she turned around, realizing that the teen was still there, staring at the container.

"Nick?"

Nick looked up suddenly, realizing she was supposed to have already left.

"Guess I'll get going," she said quickly.

She turned and walked out of the infirmary, still staring at the container. Or was she staring at her hand? Jennifer wasn't sure.

- - -

"Colonel Carter!"

Sam turned as Nick came running up behind her.

"Sleep well?" she asked jokingly, looking very tired herself. Nick nodded, eager to get to the point. She had come to a decision over breakfast and was ready to put it into action.

"I need to go home for a few days," she said. "My mom wrote a lot of stuff, and I thought maybe there might be something about..." she swallowed, "about me."

Sam studied her for a moment, and then nodded.

"Alright. I'll have someone get you a radio so you can call us if you need anything. And a gun, just in case."

"Thank-you," Nick said. She turned to go.

"Good luck," Sam said. Nick froze for a moment, and then kept walking.

- - -

Fifteen minutes later she was standing in front of the stargate with her bag on her shoulder, a gun in her hand, a radio at her belt, and the gate code for Atlantis engraved in her mind.

"We'll come by in a few days and make sure you're okay," John said. "If you need anything before that, you can radio the city." Then he added, "Or just come get it yourself." Nick nodded.

"Thanks."

"Be careful," John said.

Nick nodded and headed toward the waiting gate. She stopped in front of it and took a deep breath. Then she stepped through.

* * *

Did that surprise anybody? Or had you all already figured it out? For those of you who still have questions about Nick's history, all will be revealed in the next chapter. Well, more or less. :) While you wait, how about a review?


	8. Explanation of a Sort

Another chapter up! This chapter is still a bit short, but it holds some important information. Sorry the italics are kind of hard to distinguish. It looked better on my computer.

Thanks again to my reviewers. You are greatly appreciated.

* * *

**Explanation (of a Sort)**

On the other side of the gate, everything was just the same as she had left it. Nick had expected to feel glad to be back. But she didn't. Something was off. She looked down and saw the gun in her hands. It didn't feel right. This was her home world. For a moment she wanted to turn and throw the weapon back through the gate, but as she turned the gate closed and she was alone. She turned back and surveyed her surroundings once more. The woods were quiet. Too quiet. They had been that way for some time now, but there was something else... something her gut knew somehow. Nick was immediately on her guard. Lifting the gun, she slowly slid her finger around the trigger, ready to raise the weapon and fire at a second's notice. Then she set off for the complex, keeping her eyes and ears wide open.

- - -

She reached the complex with no incident. But she didn't let her guard down, not even for a second. She could tell that there were no humans or wraith in the area, but that didn't mean much. She knew full well that there were other species in the Pegasus galaxy. And there was no reason at all why she should be able to sense them too.

Still on guard, she walked up to the porch and slowly opened the door. No one. The lack of birds still worried her, but the sight of the familiar room was enough to make her put down the gun and lean it against the door. She had spent her whole life here. No one was going to hurt her. This was her home, after all.

Setting down the bag, she walked slowly through the compound to her room. For a moment she just stood there in the doorway, taking in everything. She wanted to run forward and throw herself on the bed, but something held her back. Something had changed inside of her. She wasn't a child anymore. But neither was she a woman. To be honest, she didn't really know who she was.

She felt her determination harden as she remembered why she had come. To discover who she was. What she was. And why.

It was time to find out.

- - -

Back in the main room, she stepped over to the bookcase. Her mother had written all kinds of books about the Ancestors, the wraith, Larrin's people, and about the planet they called home. On the top shelf, however, were a set of red books. Her journals. As a child they had been too high for Nick to reach, and when she was finally tall enough she had been occupied by other things. Training, drawing, exploring her world, reading the other books her mother wrote. It wasn't that the red books had ever been off limits exactly, but her mother had stressed on several occasions the importance of privacy, and had tried fairly hard to convince her daughter of their unimportance.

"Not this time," Nick said, reaching for the shelf. For an instant she hesitated, her hand hovering before the red books. Then she remembered the marks on her hand, and her mind made itself up. She grabbed a small stack of the red books and set them on the floor. Then, sitting down with her back against the wall, she picked up the first one and opened it.

The neat, tidy rows of looping letters running across the once-blank pages had obviously been done by a hand she had known all her life. Her eyes burned and she took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. In control once more, at least for the time being, she began to read.

_This is it, our first day alone in our new home. Aron's brother found it for us. We should be safe here, since the planet is supposedly unpopulated. Plus the Ancestors shielded parts of the complex, so we can hide if necessary. My brother-in-law had stayed for a few days to make sure we were settled, and just left this morning. We have enough supplies to last us a while, and Mikkah will be back with more before they have a chance to run out. I thought it would be lonely, and it is a bit. But after the wraith prisons, anywhere safe is just fine. I still have nightmares. Oh, the things we had to go through! And then Aron... _

_I wanted to die when I lost him. Our people came to rescue us, and Mikkah made me keep living. Now I have little Nichelle. We hid my pregnancy as best we could, knowing the experiments had changed her somehow. I was almost afraid to have her. But the moment I held her and saw her face, I didn't care what her tiny hand looked like. Mikkah made gloves for her. We had to tie them on because she keeps trying to get them off. She's sleeping right now. She's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. She looks a lot like me, but there's also a bit of Aron in her. His eyes were that same green... There's no way of knowing now what else the experiments did to her, but I know I'll love her just the same no matter what. _

"Thanks," Nick said softly.

She flipped through the pages, skimming over every entry. Most of them were just different things about discoveries her mother had made about their new world, or various things that Nick had done. Her first step was recorded, along with her first word and a good many other things. Some made her laugh, and others made her very quiet

One in particular caught her eye. It had been written when she was about four.

_Nick took her gloves off today for the first time. She's always so good about it. But today she took them off. I grabbed her and scolded her, telling her to put them back on immediately. She did, of course. She's a good child. But then she looked at me and asked, _

_"Why do I have to wear them? Larrin and Uncle Mikkah don't wear gloves." _

_"Because of your birthmark," I told her. The same half-lie I always tell her. _

_"Why can't people see it?" she asked, her big green eyes so full of innocence. "Why do I have to hide it?" _

_"Because," I said. "People wouldn't understand. _

_I didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. _

Nick stared at the page. Her mother had tried so hard to protect her, to keep her safe. From the wraith, and from herself. And it had cost her life.

She kept reading. Several pages later there was an entry that caught her attention.

_Mikkah came again today. I was glad to see him. Larrin came too. She's growing into a beautiful young woman. She and Nick have never had much to say to each other. This time, however, Larrin seemed especially awkward around Nick. Mikkah said he told her our story. As a future leader of our people, she has a right to know. _

_Before they left, Mikkah spent some time with Nick. He reminds me so much of Aron. Nick doesn't know who he really is, of course. We haven't told her. I think it would just make things even more awkward between her and Larrin if Nick learned they were cousins. _

Cousins?! Nick stared at the word, her head spinning. Larrin was her cousin? That made Mikkah her uncle. She was one of Larrin's people. That had been one of the options Sam had given her. Surely if she found them they would let her stay. Wouldn't they?

As she stared at the pages, a new thought formed in her mind. Why had her mother never told her? She had always been told that their people had been attacked and she and her mother had escaped. Mikkah had been explained away as a friend from off-world who had agreed to help them. Nick had always believed the story. But now...

"Why did you lie to me?" she whispered. She received no answer from the pages, but she hadn't really been expecting one.

"Why didn't you tell me what I am?"

- - -

_Larrin came yesterday with the news that Mikkah died a week ago, killed in a wraith attack. Nick took the news surprisingly well, but I know she misses him. _

_She sensed Larrin coming, as usual. That was one result of the experiment. She can sense both humans and wraith. I haven't told her it isn't normal, although she does know that I can't do it. She's twelve now, and I think it is fairly safe to say that I have found every effect the experiments had on her. She heals much faster than humans, though not quite as fast as the wraith. She is both faster and stronger than a normal human, and there is also her hand. The wraith have been here twice since we arrived, looking for food. Nick wanted to go out and fight them, but I wouldn't let her. I don't think they know yet that we are here, or their search would have been much more vigorous than it was. _

_I hope they never find out. _

"But they did," Nick said softly. "And now you're gone." Her throat tightened.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

So there's some backstory on Nick. I know I haven't answered a lot of the questions about the wraith experiment, but there really hasn't been a good time. Next chapter the action will begin. But rather than sitting here twiddling your thumbs, why not write a review? (Hint, hint.)


	9. Attack

Finally, some action! Hope you guys enjoy. :)

* * *

**Attack**

Nick awoke to find sunlight coming through the windows. She had fallen asleep with a book still in her lap. For a moment she was confused, trying to figure out what had awakened her.

_Wraith!_

Immediately she leaped to her feet, dropping the book in the process. They were somewhere in the complex. Nick raced to the end of the hall and down the stairs. At the bottom she froze, trying to get a better grasp on their location. She couldn't tell exactly where they were. The complex was too large. She almost dashed off to find them, but common sense made her stop. There was only one; that much she could now tell. She could handle one. But only if she was prepared.

She made herself run back up the stairs and into the supply closet. Floor to ceiling shelves covered every wall. At the back, Nick found the box she was looking for. She opened it to reveal several thick, clear tubes full of a blue liquid. Grabbing one, she smacked it on the edge of the shelf. There came a crack, and then white light began to radiate from the tube. Nick grinned.

She grabbed a handful of the tubes and stuck them in her belt opposite her black-handled knife. Then she went back to the main room and knelt by her bag. From inside it she pulled out a life-sign detector. Rodney had explained to her how they worked. She could sense the wraith with ease, but it couldn't hurt to have one. She also picked up the radio from Atlantis. Just in case they called. If she didn't answer they would come looking for her. She couldn't have that. She didn't need them interfering. This was her home, and her fight.

Lastly she picked up the gun from its place by the door. It would be much more effective than her staff would ever be. It was a small gun, but very powerful. John had told her at least half a dozen times what it was called, but she couldn't remember. Honestly, it didn't matter. Deciding she had everything, she quickly went back down the stairs and started into the complex.

It was time for a wraith hunt.

- - -

The lights overhead were dim, and Nick couldn't see clearly for more than a few feet around her. Her left hand was wrapped tightly around the gun with one finger on the trigger. In her right hand she held the light stick. Both her arms were outstretched, and her left wrist was balanced on her right, making sure there was always light in the direction she was aiming. She could still sense the wraith, but she was still too far off to pinpoint his exact location. But she knew she was gaining on him. If she was careful, he would never know she was there until it was too late.

There came a slight scraping noise on her right and she whirled around, her trigger finger at the ready. There was nothing there. But she knew she had heard _something_. The wraith was too far off, and there weren't any humans, obviously. Was it possible that there was something else in the tunnels?

Nick looked around, straining her eyes against the darkness. The tunnels suddenly felt much darker.

There it was again, this time on her left. She spun around, but once more there was nothing. Now her heart was beginning to beat a little faster. Her eyes darted, searching the shadows for something, _anything_ that moved. Nothing.

She quietly backed against the wall so she could watch all three tunnels at once. Keeping her eyes on the tunnel, she slid the gun into her belt so she could grab it up at a moment's notice. Then, still alert, she reached over and pulled out the radio. She flicked it on and raised it to her face.

"Atlantis? This is Nick. I'm in the tunnels. I think there's something down here." She waited a moment for a response, but there was none. "Atlantis, come in. This is Nick. I could use some help." Again, silence. "John? Are you there?"

That was when she remembered. The stargate had to be open for the signal to get through. Unless they opened it to call her, she was out of luck.

At that moment her light stick began to flicker, as if taunting her. Sticking the radio into her belt until, hopefully, Atlantis called, Nick set the dying light stick on the ground beside her foot and pulled another one out of her belt. That was the first one to burn out. So she had been looking for an hour. Once again she was reminded of the vastness of the tunnels. The Ancestors had known what they were doing, building the vast underground maze.

She was about to crack the fresh light stick when she heard another noise on her right, this one much closer than the others. Nick whirled. In the process she tripped over the dead light stick, accidentally sending it flying down the corridor. It hit the ground a few feet away with a sound that echoed up and down the adjoining tunnels and all through the complex. Nick instantly fell silent. She had just broadcast her position to anyone, or anything, that was anywhere in the complex. The light stick rolled a few inches and flickered again, this time staying out for a full second. When it came back on, it kept flickering. It was dangerously close to going out completely.

She smacked the fresh light stick against the wall, but there was nothing. She had to hit it on an edge. The old one flickered warningly once more. Nick raised her gun and drew the stick back to smack it against the small barrel. At that exact moment the white light went out, leaving her in utter darkness. The sudden lack of light startled Nick, and she froze. In that instant she heard it again. That strange sound, like claws scraping metal...

She smashed the light stick down on the gun barrel, and the familiar white light flooded the small space around her. Lifting the gun and resting her left wrist once more on her right beside the light stick, Nick turned and shone the light first left and then right. Nothing. Instinct began to slowly replace her sudden fear, and she started forward down a side corridor, the direction the sound had originally come from. Better to face the creature head-on than to have it come up behind her and catch her unawares.

She began to make her way noiselessly down the corridor. She made a point of stepping over the dead light stick. The wraith was still too far off to be a threat, but she knew the other creature, whatever it was, was close by. Too close. She wasn't going to make this any easier for it than she had to.

Suddenly there came a noise. The dead light stick, rolling slightly on the floor behind her. Nick whirled, her gun at the ready, but there was no one. She waited a moment, listening hard, and was about to turn back when her sense of the wraith suddenly sharpened. He was moving closer, coming close enough that she could almost tell exactly how far off her was. She squinted against the shadows, waiting silently for her mental map of the tunnels to pinpoint his exact location. Almost...

Something moved behind her and she whirled again. She caught a quick glimpse of a horrible, alien face illuminated in the white light, and then something lunged at her. The gun and light stick went flying, landing several feet away. Nick could feel razor-sharp claws slashing at her, and then something grabbed at her neck. She could barely breathe. There came an intense pain as something jabbed into her neck so hard she screamed. Somehow amid the pain she found her knife and jammed it into where she thought the creature's throat was. The creature roared in pain and Nick went flying, flung across the corridor. She landed beside the gun. There came a terrifying roar from somewhere in the blackness as the creature came for her. Nick scrambled for the gun and fired into the darkness in the direction the creature was. It roared, this time in anger, and Nick kept on firing, letting the orange sparks from the gun fill the air. The creature kept roaring, so loud Nick couldn't even think, and then finally something heavy hit the ground so close she could feel the vibration. Nick fired a few more shots before finally letting up. When the sounds of the shots faded, there was only silence. Nick stayed where she was on the ground, breathing hard and fast. When she began to recover from her shock a moment later, she realized the wraith was moving away, alerted by the gun shots. She swore and hit the ground with her fist.

After a moment, she pushed herself off the floor and got to her feet. She could hear nothing, and the wraith was still too far to be a danger. It seemed she was safe, at least for the moment. She did a quick inventory. The side of her neck was bleeding, and she had several scratches on her arms, some deep and some not. There was also a nasty one on her right cheek, and her shoulder was sore from landing on it. But otherwise she was fine. Finding the still-glowing light stick, she went over and picked it up. Curiosity was beginning to replace her original fear. She wanted to know what sort of creature had attacked her so that she would be better prepared if it happened again. She turned around, letting the white light fall across her dead adversary.

She was completely unprepared for what she saw.

She dropped the gun and took an involuntary step back, ending up against the tunnel wall. Her eyes, locked on the creature before her, were wide, and she had gone pale. Her hand was shaking, causing the edges of the shadows to dance back and forth. She had never seen, or even heard of, anything like what now lay before her. There was something vaguely human about it, and yet at the same time it was so... twisted. It had to be some sort of experiment. A hybrid. Just like she was.

That made it even worse.

There came a faint scratching noise on the left, an echo coming from farther down the tunnel. Nick's head swung in that direction, her breath coming fast. Immediately there was another on the right. Nick could almost feel her instincts taking hold, pushing down her fear. She _had_ to keep a clear head. Her hand strayed to her belt, seeking the handle of the gun, now her only weapon, and instead brushed against the forgotten life-sign detector. Immediately she pulled it out. There was a dot in the center of the small screen where she was, and then two more advancing rapidly from opposite sides of the top and bottom.

The wraith was coming back too. Once again she felt a faint fear rising within her. She was usually able to keep a level-head in most situations, but this was unlike anything she had ever experienced. She made herself push back the fear and try to think. They had every escape blocked. She couldn't fight them all, so she would just have to break for it and hope to either out-run or out-think them. And that would only happen if she kept a clear head. Unless...

She grabbed the radio and raised it to her face. Atlantis might be out of reach, but maybe there would be someone close enough to hear.

"This is Nick. If you can hear me, I need assistance!" That would be the easiest way to get someone's attention. The ensuing silence coming from the radio was enough to bring her fear to the surface. The flashing dots were growing closer by the second, and another had just appeared at the top of the screen. Nick could feel her heart beginning to pound inside her chest.

"Can anybody hear me? I'm under attack! I need immediate assistance!"

Nothing.

Nick put the radio back and took a deep breath. There were now four dots on the life-sign detector besides herself. They were coming for her. There wasn't time to create an elaborate plan, and she wasn't going to be getting any help. She only had one chance now.

Run.

* * *

How was that? Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until the next update to find out what happens. Mwa-ha-ha. :D I know, I'm evil. Get over it. Oh, and the next chapter also holds a very familiar face...  
While you're sitting there trying to figure out how you're going to endure the torture, how about writing a review to waste some time?


	10. Friend or Foe?

Another chapter up! :) What's going to happen to Nick? Read on to find out!

* * *

**Friend or Foe?**

At the same moment that Nick made her split-second decision, John Sheppard was making his way through the halls of Atlantis. Ronon and Teyla, sweaty but grinning from their time in the gym, caught him on their way past.

"Where are you off to?" Teyla asked.

"Control room," John said nonchalantly. "I just want to check in on Nick."

"She's barely been gone twenty-four hours," Ronon said, completely unconcerned. She was _wraith_ for crying out loud!

"Yeah," John said, "but something's not right. There's something weird about this whole thing."

"I have had the same feeling," Teyla admitted. Ronon looked at first her and then John, disbelieving.

"You guys are crazy," he muttered. He started walking again.

"She's probably fine," John said, as soon as the Satedan warrior was gone, "but I just want to make sure."

"I will go with you," Teyla said. John nodded, and the two of them headed to the control room.

- - -

"Nick, this is Sheppard. Come in."

He and Teyla were standing on the balcony over-looking the gate. They waited for a response, but there was none. The two exchanged a look. John turned and took a step before trying again, this time slower and more deliberate.

"Nick, this is Sheppard. Come in." Again, nothing. "Nick? Can you hear me?" Silence. John's forehead wrinkled in thought.

"Are you sure I'm getting through?" he asked, turning to Chuck. The gate technician nodded.

Rodney came around the corner then, and stopped when he saw them.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I can't reach Nick," John said.

"She probably just..." he shrugged, "turned off her radio and forgot to turn it back on." He said in a way that suggested that he didn't really believe it, but was ready to if someone else confirmed it.

"That does not sound like Nick," Teyla said. John nodded.

"Something's wrong." He started for Sam's office. Teyla was right behind him, with Rodney hurrying after.

- - -

_I'm going to die._

It was actually a fairly calm thought, rather than a hysterical one. Merely an assessment, and acceptance, of her inevitable fate.

Nick was running down the corridor as fast as she could. She had picked a tunnel and started down it. Only after she started running did she realize she was heading away from the compound and the stargate. She swore, but kept running. The dots on the life-sign detector in her belt were still moving fast. If she turned around now she was as good as dead. This way she would only have to kill one. Unless, of course, he had friends.

The sense of wraith was growing ever-stronger. As she got closer she was starting to realize that it didn't really feel quite like a full-on wraith. But how…?

She was almost to the end of the corridor when she saw a shadow on the wall up ahead. One of the creatures was coming around the corner. And the others weren't far behind her. Dang, they were fast! Nick froze, staring at the shadow.

_I. Am going. To die._

Something about those five words caused all her fear to fade. Suddenly she could think straighter and see everything clearer than she had been able to since the whole mess began. Not without a fight, she wasn't! The creature might be bigger, faster, and stronger, but she had the element of surprise. So...

Her eyes darted, looking for a place to stage an ambush. On her left was a short corridor, shrouded in shadow. A plan began to form in her mind.

"Not this time," she hissed.

Grabbing the light stick, she tossed it down the corridor she had come from. The shadow froze for a split instant. Nick seized that moment to dive into the dark corridor and press her back against the wall, gun at the ready. There came a terrifying roar, and then the creature charged around the corner. It went straight past her, heading for the sound and the glowing light stick. Nick slowed her breathing as best she could, counting slowly. One... two... three... four... _five_.

"Hey stupid!" she yelled, leaping into the corridor with the gun out. The creature whirled and saw her and gave a roar. Then he charged. Nick stood her ground, squeezing the trigger as tightly as she could. The thing kept coming, seemingly undeterred. Nick fired on, and still he came. Then, just as she was about to give up and run, he suddenly toppled over backwards. Nick didn't even wait to see if he was dead before taking off down the corridor he had come from. She was still heading towards the wraith, but she didn't even care anymore. She would be lucky just to make it out alive.

- - -

"Colonel?"

Sam looked up to see John, Teyla, and Rodney all stepping into her office, looking a bit worried.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I tried to radio Nick," John said, "but I can't get through."

"We think something may be wrong," Teyla added.

"Do you think maybe she just turned off her radio?" Sam asked.

"It's possible," John said, "but that doesn't sound like Nick." Sam looked at him a moment, and then nodded.

"No, it doesn't." She thought a moment and then nodded again, having made her decision. "You better check on her. I'll have a team on stand-by incase you need backup." John nodded.

- - -

Nick was running as fast as she could. The wraith was getting closer, and so were the creatures behind her. If she could just find a way out of the tunnels and then make it to the stargate in one piece, she could reach Atlantis. Much easier said than done.

She was so busy running that she didn't have time to pay attention to the life-sign detector. Not that she could have done anything even if she had seen the ring of red dots slowly closing in around her.

Suddenly the radio crackled to life. John's voice reached Nick's ear, carried over the radio.

"Nick? This is Sheppard. Come in."

"Sheppard?"

Nick stumbled to a halt and pulled the radio from her belt.

"Sheppard, that you?"

"Nick, please respond," John's voice crackled.

"Sheppard! It's me! Can you hear me?"

"Nick, this is Teyla. Where are you?"

"I'm right here!" Nick yelled. "Where are you? Teyla? Sheppard? Sheppard!"

The radio went dead. They were gone. They hadn't heard. Nick swore. The shields were keeping her signal from getting through. She started running again.

She dashed around a corner and almost ran right into one of the creatures. He roared. She screamed. The gun fired several times and he fell. Just as another appeared at the end of the corridor behind him.

Nick didn't even try. She had no idea how much ammo was left in the gun, and she didn't want to find out. Instead she broke right and dashed down another metal corridor. The creature roared and came barreling after her. She hadn't taken the time to crack another light stick, and it was nearly impossible to see. But she didn't dare stop. She tripped over something once, but caught her balance and kept right on.

She skidded around a corner and kept running. The creature was gaining fast. From somewhere nearby she heard another roar, and then another. They were closing in. Dinner was about to be served, and they all knew it.

Her legs gave out in the middle of a long corridor. She had to stop and breathe. Even with the extra strength of a wraith hybrid, she couldn't run forever. There was a small square room on her right and she could just make out a door. If she could bolt it from inside...

Nick dashed in and turned in time to slam the door. She found the lock and turned it, fast. She could hear the creatures outside, looking for her. The wraith was coming closer too. She backed slowly away from the door, holding her breath-

Suddenly something hit the floor behind her. _Wraith!_ Nick started to turn and fight, but before she could move something pinned her arms to her sides and a cold hand clapped itself over her mouth. She started to struggle but a voice in her ear stopped her.

"If you wish to live, then I suggest you be quiet."

At that moment something banged against the outside of the door. Nick decided to take his advice. Both figures held their breath, listening to the creatures outside. They roared and grunted and scraped, but they couldn't seem to figure out what had happened to their prey. Then, after a long moment, the noises slowly began to fade. Suddenly Nick and the wraith were alone.

The wraith let go of her and Nick spun around, grabbing the gun and cracking a light stick in the same motion. She shone the light on her savior. What she saw shocked her. He dressed like a wraith, sounded somewhat like a wraith, and had wraith skin and wraith eyes, but other than that he looked almost human. He was like a cross between the two races. A hybrid.

"Who are you?" Nick asked, her voice hard.

"Not who you think," he said calmly. He kept his hands open to show he meant no harm, but he didn't seem afraid. On the contrary, he seemed quite calm. "I am not a wraith. Not anymore. But I am not human either. I am a hybrid. Just like you." Nick's shifted her grip on the gun so it wouldn't fire if her finger twitched. She wasn't about to let her guard down, and she certainly didn't trust him, but she believed him. Sort of. Or at least, she wanted to. He saw it in her eyes and forged ahead.

"My name is Michael. I want to help you."

* * *

Now if I know Michael, he's got an alterior motive. What might it be this time? You'll just have to wait and find out. :D  
Since you're already at the bottom of the page and you obviously have nothing better to do, why not write me a review?


	11. Truth or Dare

Okay, so for some odd reason I felt like posting another chapter. :) Let me know what you think. And once again, thank-you to my reviewers.

* * *

**Truth or Dare**

The woods were completely silent, save the wind rustling the tree branches. The birds had all vanished, either dead or gone. In the middle of the silent little clearing sat the stargate, somehow a more forbidding presence than usual.

Suddenly it sprang to life. A moment later John Sheppard stepped through. He was followed by Teyla, Rodney, and a very disgruntled Ronon, who had been dragged along against his will. Why did they care about a half-wraith freak? But he was the best tracker they had, and if they couldn't find Nick then they would need his help.

"The birds are still gone," Rodney said, craning his neck to stare up into the trees around them.

"Something's definitely wrong," John said. Without another word the four of them headed in the direction of the compound.

- - -

"How did you become... a hybrid?" Nick asked. The gun still stood between her and Michael, but her grip had relaxed.

"It is complicated," he said. "Ask your Atlantis friends. Ask them what happened to Michael."

"You know them?" Nick asked.

"Yes," Michael said. "They made me what I am today."

"What?" Nick wasn't sure what to do with this newfound information. It was outrageous!

"You can't trust them," Michael continued. "They may seem kind, but they won't hesitate to betray you. Just like they betrayed me. More than once. Even the wraith scorned me when they saw what I had become. What the Atlanteans had made me."

"But... I thought you _were_ a wraith," Nick said, confused.

"They could sense the human in me," he said. "To them I was unclean. They tried to kill me. The Atlanteans rescued me, and then betrayed me once more."

"They wouldn't do that!" Nick said, rushing to the defense of her new friends.

"They don't trust you," Michael said, taking a small step forward. "And they never will, not completely. They view you as a freak. And freaks are disposable."

"That's not true!" Nick yelled, clutching the gun a bit more tightly. Michael stopped moving and stayed where he was.

"Where were they when you needed them?" he asked, referring to John and Teyla's radio call.

"The signal couldn't get through," Nick said immediately. "They couldn't hear me. If they had, they would have come."

"Are you sure?" Michael asked.

- - -

"Had any luck?" Sam asked, coming up behind Jennifer. The doctor was working on a computer, but she stopped to talk to Sam.

"Not really. But I do have a bit of a theory." Sam nodded for her to go ahead. "Her first day here Ronon came in after sparring with her. She'd hit him too hard and given him a gash. They wanted me to stitch it up. Anyway, while they were in here he said something about her being really fast. He seemed genuinely surprised. Then I was talking to Lieutenant Colonel Shepherd, and he said she had sparred with Teyla, and had gotten hit on the knuckles. He said her hand was almost completely healed just a few minutes later. He also said she was strong and quick, so much so that Teyla was having to work to keep up. So I started thinking, and I thought what maybe..."

"The effects are all internal," Sam finished, catching on. "The wraith are fast, strong, and quick healers. It makes sense." Jennifer nodded. "Is there any way to be sure on all of that?"

"Not really. I mean, I could look at her muscle structure and run some more tests on the blood sample, but we can't really be sure unless she's here."

"Well she may be back before long," Sam said. "John tried to radio her a while ago and couldn't get through. He took his team to check on her." Jennifer nodded.

"In the meantime, I'll review her scans and see if I can find anything."

"I'll let you know as soon as we hear something," Sam said.

- - -

"They would have come," Nick repeated in a low, hard voice. Michael shrugged.

"Suit yourself." He walked up to the door of the room and opened it a fraction, looking out into the corridors. Then he motioned for Nick to follow.

"Quickly."

He stepped into the hall, looking both ways. Nick followed suit, and they hurried quickly down the corridor.

Michael led her through a maze of metal tunnels and corridors. Several times they heard the creatures in the distance, and once they were only a corridor over, but somehow the things never found them.

"What are they?" Nick asked, after a particularly close call.

"Experiments," Michael said. He peeked around the corner to see if the coast was clear, so he didn't meet her eyes. "My creations."

"What?!" Nick stared at Michael, her eyes wide. He turned to explain.

"When the wraith, my own people, abandoned me, I decided to have my revenge. I have spent a good deal of time experimenting with a creature known as the Iratus bug, from which the wraith evolved. I injected human DNA into their eggs in an attempt to create a warrior. Strong, agile, quick, and mindless. I hoped to control them. But a few months ago some escaped. I do not know how."

"That's what's scared off all the animals," Nick said. Michael nodded.

"I have stayed here these last months hoping to find a way to recapture them, but so far I have had little success."

"Why did you do it here?" Nick asked.

"Because both the wraith and the Atlanteans believed this world to be abandoned. I had hoped to contain my experiment within the far reaches of the complex and you would never have known. Then when the wraith arrived, I was forced to call for help or be compromised."

"So you were the one who called Atlantis."

"Yes."

Nick nodded slowly. She looked around the tunnel, trying to process it all.

"Why are you telling me all this?" she asked suddenly, looking back at Michael. "And why did you help me?"

"Because I know what it is like to be you," he said. "To be different and untrusted, rejected by your own race. I know what it is like to be alone."

Nick turned away, not sure what to think. Just days ago her world had been stable, with everything a clear black and white. Now it had all been flipped on its head and turned a million shades of grey. She had never felt so confused.

"It's all happened so fast," she said suddenly. "First Mom, and... and now this?" She lifted her right hand, then clenched it tightly and let it fall. "I don't even know who I am anymore."

"You must start over, as I have," Michael said. "The past is gone, but the future is whatever you choose to make it." When Nick didn't respond, he kept on. "Neither wraith nor human will accept you now. You must learn to stand alone." He paused. "Or, if you chose, to stand with others of your kind."

Nick turned.

"You mean, with you?" she asked. Her face was carefully guarded, but there was something in her eyes, a small spark begging him to give her something solid to cling to in a sea of confusion. No one had ever looked at him like that before. For a moment he didn't know what to say.

"Yes," he finally managed. Nick nodded and turned away.

"I should go," she said quietly.

"Of course," Michael said. "I will show you the way."

- - -

"Well, we know she made it this far," John said, setting Nick's bag where he had found it.

"The gun's not here," Ronon said, coming out of Nick's room. He still sounded completely unconcerned. "Wherever she is, she's got it with her." His voice implied that she could obviously protect herself, and therefore their venture was a complete waste of time.

"She has the radio as well," Teyla said, ignoring Ronon's tone.

"Why would she bother with the radio if it's off?" Rodney asked.

"In case we tried to call," John said. "Unless..." He looked up, and they all knew what he was thinking. _Maybe it's not off._

"Something's blocking the signal," Rodney said. John nodded. "The shields could be interfering."

"This is her home," Teyla pointed out, having just realized the significance of the firearm's absence. "She would not believe she needed a gun unless she knew already that something was wrong."

Suddenly there came a roar from somewhere outside. The team looked at each other. They had all heard that sound before. From Michael's iratus bug creatures.

"Like that?" John asked as they all made for the door.

- - -

"There," Michael said, pointing to a shaft of sunlight coming around the corner up ahead. "It is a short walk from the stargate." He turned to Nick. "Remember what I have told you. The Atlanteans _will_ betray you." Nick didn't respond. Instead she headed for the doorway. At the corner she turned.

"Thank-you for saving my life," she said. Her eyes showed that she was sincere. Michael nodded, and she disappeared around the corner.

- - -

"This way," Ronon said. As the expert tracker, he had become the designated leader. The others followed after him, guns at the ready. John had Nick's bag slung over his shoulder.

The lack of animals was now painfully obvious. So was the reason for their disappearance. The silence was almost palpable.

As he stepped over some brush, Ronon's eyes caught sight of something almost hidden by the leaves. He stepped over and pulled back a sapling branch.

"I think I found lunch," he said.

The others gathered around to see what he had found. It was the dead body of some kind of larger animal similar to a deer from earth. There was a patch of dried blood on its neck where the life had been sucked away, just like an iratus bug would have done. The whole thing had gone pale as a result. It had also been raked by a series of strong claws so that the flesh was in shreds.

"Michael," Teyla said. They all nodded. The animal had obviously been killed by one of his creatures. And if they were there, he was almost certainly nearby.

"We gotta find Nick," John said.

"Uhm, guys?" Rodney said. "There's three life signs heading this way, all from different directions." Everyone turned to look at his life-sign detector. It was true. Then a fourth appeared.

"I do not think any of them is Michael or Nick," Teyla said. They all knew what that meant. Michael's creations had decided to have a snack.

"We won't be able to take 'em all at once," Ronon said.

"I know," John muttered. At that moment, his radio came to life.

"John, this is Colonel Carter. Do you copy?"

"We're here," John said.

"Have you found anything?" Sam asked.

"Yes and no. We searched the compound, but Nick's not here. Her bag's here, but she and the gun are both gone. We think Michael's here too."

"Michael?"

"Yup. And he brought some of his hybrid buddies."

"Shepherd, we need to move," Ronon said. The dots on the life sign detector were fast drawing closer.

"Head for the stargate," Sam said over the radio. "We'll equip a larger team and try again. Carter out."

John looked at the others. "Let's go."

* * *

Why do I get the feeling Michael is pulling everybody's strings? Who is Nick going to believe now? Can she make it back to Atlantis in one piece? For that, you'll have to wait until tomorrow. :D  
Once again, reviews are greatly appreciated.


	12. Adrenaline

Once again, I do not own SG-A or any of the characters, etc. Moving on.

* * *

**Adrenaline**

The farther Nick walked, the more she noticed the quiet of the woods around her. In a place usually full of life, the absence of it was disturbing. There should have been birds and small animals everywhere. Instead there was only silence. The woods were green and the sky was a vibrant blue, but the emptiness made it all seem false. She began to cast nervous glances over her shoulder, half expecting one of the monsters from the tunnels to suddenly appear behind her.

She was barely ten minutes away from where she had left Michael when she heard a bird screech frantically. She whirled just in time to see it rise from the trees in a rush, scared from its perch. It was a hunting bird, the sort that didn't scare easily. One of the few that had remained. And whatever had scared that bird was heading her way.

Nick turned and hurried onward. The stargate had to be close. All she had to do was get there in one piece.

Easier said than done.

- - -

Samantha Carter was on her way back from talking to a very excited Radek Zelenka about a modification he had in mind. As she was about to step into the transport, Jennifer Keller came around the corner.

"Hey, doc," Sam said as Jennifer stepped into the transporter. "Where you off to?"

"Infirmary," Jennifer said. "I had to go get some coffee." Sam nodded. "You?"

"I was talking to Radek. He thinks he's figured out a way to make some of the systems a bit more energy efficient." She shook her head. Doctor Zelenka was not exactly her most favorite person in the world. "Have you had any luck?"

"None yet. I'm still looking." The transporter doors opened and they both stepped out. "Have you heard from Colonel Shepherd?"

"They're due back any minute. They found Nick's things, but she and the gun are both gone. They also have reason to believe that Michael is there."

"Michael? What's he doing there?"

"I don't know. We're hoping to send in a bigger team to investigate. And hopefully find Nick." They reached an intersection of hallways, and Sam turned to give Jennifer a smile that was a bit forced. "Well, this is my turn. Good luck!"

"Thanks," Jennifer said. "I'll let you know if I find anything."

- - -

Nick hurried through the woods, making as little noise as possible. One of the creatures was gaining on her fast. It didn't seem that he was aware of her presence yet, but that wouldn't last much longer. She needed a plan.

There was a small slope on her left, shielded by a tree. She skidded the short distance to the bottom and pressed her back against the trunk of the tree, trying to slow her breathing. A glance around the trunk told her that the creature wasn't in sight. Seizing the moment, she pulled out the life-sign detector. What she saw were two creatures, one a bit farther off than the other. Nick closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. She had to stay calm if she was going to make it out.

The trees rustled behind her and she hurriedly put the life-sign detector away. Clutching the gun and pressing her body tightly against the tree, she chanced a look around the trunk. There it was, standing among the trees, mere yards away. She hurriedly turned around before it saw her. She took another deep breath. There was no way she could escape without alerting it. That left only one option.

Leaping out from behind the tree, Nick leveled the gun and pulled the trigger. The creature turned in her direction and roared. She pulled the trigger again, but it seemed to have no effect. Suddenly she realized that it hadn't fired at all. Either the barrel had jammed, or she was out of ammo. It was in that split instant of panic that Nick suddenly realized how close the creature actually was. If he charged...

He did. Nick pulled the trigger one last time, and that time it fired. But it was too late. She was out of time. She turned around and took a flying leap over a clump of underbrush, then hit the ground running. The creature was right behind her.

It had just become a race for the stargate.

- - -

Rodney finished dialing the DHD and the stargate sprang to life. Ronon headed through the gate with no hesitation. Rodney, looking uncomfortable, followed suit. Teyla looked at John and they nodded. There was nothing more they could do. The Athosian approached the gate and stepped through. John followed suit. He stopped in front of the gate for another look around, then turned and entered the event horizon.

He reached the other side just as Chuck yelled, "Receiving radio transmission!"

"Nick," John muttered. He turned and bounded up the steps to the balcony. Sam was already there, giving the order to let the signal through. He reached her just as a girl's voice came over the radio.

"Can anybody hear me?!" She was screaming, and sounded like she was running hard and fast.

"Open a channel," Sam ordered. Chuck did. "Nick? What's going on?"

"No time!" Nick yelled. "Open the gate!"

"We're ready for you," Sam said. Then she said, "Keep it open until she's through, then raise the shield." Chuck nodded.

- - -

Nick had no idea how she was managing to stay ahead of the creature, but she was, if only just. Adrenaline kept her going, pumping her legs as hard as she could. She could hardly even breath, she was going so fast.

Suddenly she broke the cover of the trees. There was the stargate, open and waiting. Nick gathered what strength she had left in her legs and raced toward it. The creature was right behind her, roaring. She had to reach the gate!

The creature was practically on top of her. She was out of time. She gathered her legs beneath her and leaped.

- - -

John and his team were on the floor of the control room, guns pointed at the gate. A handful of soldiers who had been nearby were there as well. On the balcony, Sam was leaning forward on the railing. All eyes were locked on the ring. No one made a sound.

Suddenly a shape came flying through into the room. It was a person, dressed in black and with brown hair. Nick! She hit the floor and skidded a few feet, ending up on her back with her gun pointed at the stargate.

"Close the gate!" she yelled.

Chuck moved as fast as he could, but was too late. Something was coming in behind her. The shield came up, but a huge creature had already stepped through the stargate, causing Sam's eyes to widen. She'd never seen anything like it. No one had, except for Colonel Sheppard's team. John raised his gun, but Nick had already opened fire. The soldiers were only a fraction of a second behind her. The creature roared and took a step back. Then he fell, crashing into the side of the stargate and ending up on the floor. Nick fired a few more shots before finally lowering the gun, breathing hard.

John appeared beside her and helped her to her feet. There was a mess of dried blood on her neck, as well as a line on her cheek, and her shirt was torn in several places where she had been cut. She had obviously scuffled with one of the creatures.

"You alright?"

"Yeah." She nodded, her eyes still on the stargate. It closed, finally, and she turned to John and nodded again. Her eyes landed on Ronon, standing on the edge of the gate room. He was watching her stonily. Then he turned and walked out of the gate room.

"Welcome back," Sam called down. She had just sent a call for Dr. Keller to get some bandages ready. "Glad you made it in one piece."

"Thanks," Nick said, looking up. Sam nodded, and turned to leave the balcony.

"You're pretty lucky to be alive," John said. "A group of those things can wipe out an entire settlement." He turned to Rodney and Teyla.

"Who's Michael?" Nick asked suddenly.

"Where'd you hear that name?" John asked, his eyes burning into Nick.

"I don't remember," she said vaguely.

"Really." John obviously didn't believe her.

"Who is he?" Nick asked, unwilling to back down.

"You should go to the infirmary," Teyla said, trying to change the subject.

"Not until you tell me who Michael is," Nick said, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"It's a long story," John said, starting to turn away.

"I've got time," Nick said, taking a step forward as if to cut him off. John turned back and locked gazes with her, trying to decide if she had another motive. It was all Nick could do not to look away.

"She should know," Teyla said. John knew she was right. They had tried to keep the truth from Michael and in the end it had just made things worse. They couldn't afford to make that mistake again.

He looked at Teyla.

"You should probably tell it."

* * *

Short, but necessary. And, just because I love you guys, there's another chapter up already. :) Do I get a review for that?


	13. Read Between the Lines

Just so you guys know, my family is going on vacation tomorrow and I can't take my laptop, so it's gonna be about 2 weeks before I get another chapter up. That's why there's two today. :) Enjoy! 'Cause it'll be a while before you get another one. Sorry! Can't be helped.  
And again, many thanks to my reviewers.

* * *

**Read Between the Lines**

"How long do you think he's been there?" Ronon asked, meaning Michael.

"I do not know how long his creatures need to grow," Teyla said, "but they have been there for some time if all the other animals are gone."

John, Teyla, Rodney, Ronon, and Zelenka were all sitting at a table in the mess hall. Nick was nowhere to be found. The recovery team had been discussing the matter over lunch. Radek had come over to ask Rodney something about his new idea, and then had stayed when he heard what they were discussing.

"She's got a point," Rodney said. "They have everything necessary for life right there, so there's no reason for migration. Something had to scare them off.

"And then it would have taken time for all of them to leave," Radek added.

"So he's been there for a while," John said.

"But what could he want with Nick?" Radek asked.

"I say we ask her," Ronon said, fingering the handle of his gun.

"I do not think that would be wise," Teyla said. "We do not need her joining Michael because she believes we do not trust her."

"Speaking of the devil," John said, getting up. "We'll take in a fully outfitted team tomorrow and see if we can find him."

"We should have killed him when we had the chance," Ronon muttered over the rim of his cup. His eyes said, _And we should do something with her before she ends up like him._ John looked back at him for a moment, and then walked out.

- - -

_Michael was right._

Nick, fresh from the infirmary, was sitting on what might have once been some sort of dock on the edge of the city, staring out at the sea. Her mind was in a whirl. Just when she thought her world couldn't be rocked anymore. And now she learned that Atlantis had...

Had what? Tried to find a new weapon against the wraith? At least then they wouldn't be killing them. It was more mercy than the monsters deserved.

So? It was still an experiment.

But he was a _wraith_, for heaven's sake! He fed on humans. That changed everything. Didn't it?

Nick grabbed a rock and tossed it into the ocean. They had called the monsters "Michael's creatures." At least he had admitted to creating them. The Atlantis team hadn't even mentioned him. Not that she had really asked, but still. They said he had destroyed the entire Taranian people. But he had saved her! From his own creatures. Which, she reminded herself, he had only created _after_ the Atlanteans betrayed him. But he had wiped out an entire settlement to do it! They had only captured one wraith for their experiment. Did the number of people affected make it any less of a crime? And he had held Teyla hostage, tried to feed on her! But that was only because he wanted to escape...

She groaned in frustration. It was all so confusing! She barely even knew the Atlantis team, but she already liked them. They had all tried to make her feel welcome. Even after learning she was part wraith they had tried to come and rescue her. Well, except for Ronon. He had turned hostile. And Rodney had definitely become much more uncomfortable around her. But he had still come with John and Teyla to find her. Of his own free will. And Sam had seemed glad she was safe. So had Jennifer. But if they saw her hand... Would they betray her like they had Michael?

There hadn't been a choice. And besides. He was still a wraith. But so was she, in a small way. And to think they had actually experimented...

There she went again. It was impossible to get things straight inside her head. Who was really in the right? She has assumed it was the Atlantis team, but after hearing about Michael she wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe she should just get out of the whole mess while she still could. If she could get Sam to help her track down Larrin...

Her eyes went wide and she sat up fast. _Larrin!_ Larrin was due in any day to deliver supplies. And she had no idea what had happened. She would be walking right into a monster-infested trap.

Nick jumped up and took off running. She had to find Sam and John. They were already planning an expedition to go after Michael, she knew that. Maybe they could intercept Larrin before she got herself killed.

- - -

"Are you sure?" Sam asked.

"Pretty much," John said. "She acted like she'd already heard it from somebody." _Like Michael._ Sam nodded.

"If he gets ahold of her-"

"He won't," John said quickly. "We'll get him before he has the chance."

Nick suddenly appeared around a corner, heading towards Sam's office, and they both fell silent. If she noticed, she didn't say anything.

"I just remembered," she said. "Larrin-" John cut her off before she could finish.

"Larrin?" he asked, making sure he had heard right.

"She and her father were the ones supplying the compound," Sam said briefly. She looked at Nick. "Go ahead."

"She's due any day with another shipment," Nick said. "She doesn't know about the creatures. She'll be walking right into a trap."

"Larrin and I are old buddies," John said with a hint of sarcasm. "We'll keep an eye out for her." He stepped around Nick on his way out. "I'll give Major Lorne a head's up. He can spread the word."

"John," Sam said suddenly. John turned. Sam glanced at Nick, who was also looking at her, and then back at John. "Why don't you take Nick with you?"

- - -

"We're almost ready to depart, sir," Major Lorne said, falling into step behind John. "About three minutes tops." John gave a nod, his eyes still surveying the team as he walked. Lorne stopped suddenly, his eyes locked on a figure in a bullet-proof vest and dark blue shirt with ponytailed brown hair.

"What's she doing here?" he asked. John glanced in the direction he was looking.

"Who, Nick?" he asked. Lorne nodded, starting after him again.

"This is going to be a dangerous mission," he said, stating the obvious.

"She's here because Colonel Carter wants her here," John said, still walking. Then he added, "And so do I."

"She took a pretty good beating yesterday. Shouldn't she be in the infirmary?"

"Dr. Keller cleared her," John said, still looking ahead instead of at the Major. "Says she's fine. Just a little scratched-up."

"With all due respect, sir," Lorne said, "she's just a kid." When John didn't respond, he said, "Sir, there have been rumors that she's part wraith."

"We need her on our side," John said, calmly dodging the unasked question. "And for that, she's got to know we trust her."

"Do we?" Lorne asked. John stopped walking and froze for a moment before turning to face him.

"Look. Teyla's gonna be keeping an eye on her. You won't even have to know she's there. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with Colonel Carter. Am I clear?"

"Perfectly, sir." Lorne's face made it obvious that he didn't like John's decision, but he wasn't going to contradict him.

"Good." John turned and started walking again. Then in a loud voice that all could hear, he said, "Let's move out."

- - -

Nick had watched the entire exchange from where she stood with Teyla. She couldn't hear what was said, but she could tell Major Lorne wasn't happy.

"He doesn't trust me," she said softly. She looked around at the other people readying to go through the stargate. "None of them do."

"They will learn," Teyla said. Nick didn't say anything. She was still looking at the other expedition members heading for the still-closed stargate.

"When I first arrived in Atlantis," Teyla continued, "there were many who did not trust my people and I."

"They didn't trust you?" Nick asked incredulously.

"It was understandable," Teyla said. "There were... suspicious circumstances. We did not completely trust them either."

"But they do now," Nick said. "They all listen to you and respect you."

"I had to earn that trust," Teyla said. "So did Ronon."

Nick looked around for the Satedan warrior. He was standing across the room, twirling his gun. When he saw her looking, he put the gun up and turned away, pretending he hadn't seen her. Nick's heart sank.

At that moment the stargate sprang to life. The group of soldiers, about twenty including Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard's team, started through the stargate with John Sheppard and Evan Lorne at the front. There was a medical team on standby just in case. The scientists were having a hay-day with the dead creature they had acquired the day before. A disgruntled Rodney was the only one accompanying the mission, and he was frustrated at having been dragged away from the lab.

Nick came to a halt before the stargate and looked over her shoulder. A few soldiers stepped around her on their way through. Up on the balcony, Sam was watching the exodus. She saw Nick and gave her a nod. Nick nodded back, and then turned and stepped through.

Teyla was waiting for her on the other side with the rest of the expedition. Nick went over and stood beside her, and they watched as the last three people, two men and a woman, stepped through. The gate closed behind them.

"Alright," John said. All eyes were immediately on him. "You all knew why we're here. To find Michael. If you get a shot at him, take it." No one said anything. Nick took a look around. No one seemed worried. She knew they wouldn't hesitate to shoot. How would they react when she couldn't do it?

"We should have done this a long time ago," Ronon muttered. John ignored him.

"Teams of two," he said. "Let's go."

They paired off immediately. Evan Lorne was with a young woman named Sergeant Hendricks. Ronon, Rodney and John stood together as the only threesome because Nick threw the numbers off. She and Teyla stood alone. As the other teams started off, John grabbed Ronon.

"I want you with Teyla and Nick," he said.

"I'm not going with _her_," Ronon said, his teeth clenched.

"Look," John said, his voice low and hard. "Nick knows more of that complex than anybody. And she probably knows where Michael's hiding. You and Teyla together would have the best chance of getting him." _And at stopping Nick if she does anything suspicious._ Ronon glared at him for a moment, and then finally nodded.

"Where's this tunnel entrance?" John asked, turning to Nick. She had given them a very brief version of her time in the complex, detailing some of her fights and then her miraculous discovery of the exit. John hadn't bought the last bit for an instant. It smelled an awful lot like the work of Michael.

"That way." Nick pointed. "About twenty minutes." John nodded. Then he and Rodney headed in the direction she had pointed.

"Come on," Ronon said gruffly, obviously annoyed at being put with the half-wraith freak. He started walking toward the compound with Teyla and Nick following, the latter hoping against hope that Michael couldn't be found.

* * *

So. What do you guys think? Who is Nick going to side with? Will Michael get caught, or does he still know exactly what he's doing? Unfortunately, it'll be a while before you find out. Why not write a review to make the time go faster? :D

Be back as soon as I can!


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